U.N. Observers to Monitor Congo Truce

Half a year after six nations signed a cease-fire in the Congolese conflict, the U.N. Security Council on Thursday authorized a 5,500-member observer force to monitor its implementation and lay the groundwork for possible deployment of a peacekeeping force.

The former combatants already are pressing for the United Nations to send peacekeepers, but the Security Council first wants the opposing sides to honor the cease-fire.

The 15-member council unanimously agreed to the U.S.-drafted resolution to send 500 military observers, supported by 5,037 security troops and logistics personnel. The group will verify that all parties are observing the cease-fire, which was aimed at ending an 18-month-old war in Congo that has destabilized Central Africa.

U.S. Ambassador Richard Holbrooke has said that the United States will not provide troops but may provide logistical support.

Many council members recognize that sending such a small mission to a country one-fourth the size of the United States with few roads and poor communications may not be militarily effective but can be politically important.

The observer mission, the fourth major U.N. peacekeeping operation approved by the Security Council in eight months, is expected to cost about $500 million for the first year.