North Kivu: MONUSCO Encourages the Population of Kabasha to Collaborate with the Security forces (18.04.2022)

The goal is to recreate a climate of trust between the population and the security forces and thus promote a more protective environment.

KINSHASA, Democratic Republic of Congo, April 18, 2022 – Collaboration between the population and the Security Forces is key in the implementation of the Protection of Civilians’ mandate by MONUSCO Force and the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of Congo (FARDC).

To make this partnership effective, MONUSCO Civil Affairs office organized, on April 8 in Kabasha, a locality about twenty km south-west of Beni, an awareness session on collaboration between the authorities, the population and the defense and security forces.

This sensitization session brought together community leaders, political and military authorities, representatives of women’s associations and youth movements. The goal is to recreate a climate of trust between the population and the security forces and thus promote a more protective environment.

During the exchanges, Major Wilned Chawinga, commander in charge of civil-military relations from MONUSCO Intervention Brigade (FIB), insisted on the fact that the return of peace in the territory of Beni requires collaboration among the populations who must provide the information and the Defense and Security Forces, who use the information to better protect them. He recalled that the first actor in the protection of civilians is the population itself.

Young people involved in peace

The representative of the youth in Kabasha, Faustin Katembo, hailed the gradual return of peace and the revival of the rural farming activities which is triggering the development process in the region. He called on the young people to fight the rumors on social networks and to make a real commitment to collaborate with the Security Forces: “With regard to the protection of civilians, we have been informed that the first protector of the civilian, it’s themselves. Let the young people therefore engage in the collaborating with the security forces so that peace returns to our territory and to our province. May the young people commit to denouncing suspicious cases so that security officers can intervene at the appropriate time,” he stressed.

He then praised the achievements made by MONUSCO, citing in particular on capacity-building for the police, logistical support for the FARDC, human rights defense, support for the judicial institutions, but also Mission’s involvement in the mobilization of young people drawn from armed groups, through the construction and rehabilitation of infrastructures. This helps them reintegrate socially and economically into their community.

For his part, Katembo Mastaki, deputy head of the student coordination in the territory of Beni insisted on the importance for young people to get involved in peace issues: “We must collaborate with MONUSCO and the FARDC and not trust the rumors accusing the defense and security forces. Peace is everyone’s business. We must get involved to changing the situation. The mechanisms to be established are confidence in our authorities. We understood that MONUSCO is there to work with the government, it supports the FARDC and intervenes within the limits of its mandate”, explained Katembo Mastaki before launching this appeal to young people: “To the young people of Kabasha and especially to the students, we ask them not to join armed groups, but to work with the authorities to put an end to insecurity in the region”.

Women’s leadership in the service of peace

Charmante Kapitula, head of the Association of Women for Peace and Integral Development, believes that women’s leadership can help bring peace to the territory of Beni. “I focused my presentation on the leadership by women in the restoration of peace in the territory of Beni. The women who are victims of insecurity must collaborate with the local authorities to whom they must transmit the information. They must also collaborate with the defense and security forces,” explained Charmante Kapitula.

She encouraged women to play a major role in securing the region. “MONUSCO, through community engagement, push women to join local protection committees. This allows us to et the security situation improved in our respective areas,” concluded Charmante Kapitula.

RDC: Front Commun pour le Congo (FCC) – Declaration des Deputes Nationaux – Membres du FCC sur le Processus Electoral en RDC (14.04.2022)

RDC: Force d’Avenir du Congo – Communique No. 09 (12.04.2022)

RDC: Association Congolaise pour l’Acces a la Justice (ACAJ) – Affaire Kamerhe: l’arret de la Cour de Cassation est un frein a la lutte contre la corruption (12.04.2022)

RDC: Province du Haut-Katanga – Communique officiel No. 00010 (11.04.2022)

RDC: Union pour la Nation Congolaise (UNC) – Communique (11.04.2022)

RDC: Rassemblement de Democrates Tshisekedistes (RDT) – Communique No. 045 (09.04.2022)

RDC: Province du Nord-Kivu – Communication des Forces Armees de la Republique Democratique du Congo au Sujet de l’Explosion d’Un Engin au Camp Katindo de Goma (08.04.2022)

RDC: Reseau pour la Reforme du Secteur de Securite et de Justice (RRSSJ) – A quand la fin de la violence armee au Nord Kivu (05.04.2022)

DRC: Nepal peacekeeper killed; UN strongly condemns attack in DR Congo (06.04.2022)

Mr. Guterres called on the Congolese authorities to investigate the incident and “swiftly bring those responsible to justice”.

GENEVA, Switzerland, April 6, 2022 – The UN chief on Tuesday together with the Security Council, strongly condemned an attack by suspected militia members, on peacekeepers serving in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), which left one Nepali ‘blue helmet’ dead.

In a statement issued by his Deputy Spokesperson, Secretary-General António Guterres said that the attack, believed to be carried out by the Coopérative pour le dévelopement du Congo (CODECO), had taken place which troops from the UN mission MONUSCO, were in Bali, Djugu territory, in Ituri province.

“The Secretary-General expresses his deepest condolences to the family of the fallen peacekeeper, as well as to the Government and the people of Nepal”, said the statement, adding that attacks against United Nations peacekeepers may constitute a war crime.”

Mr. Guterres called on the Congolese authorities to investigate the incident and “swiftly bring those responsible to justice”.

He said the UN would continue to support the Congolese Government and people through the 18,000-strong MONUSCO mission, in their efforts to bring about peace and stability in the east of the country.

Security Council concern over increase in attacks

The members of the Security Council also delivered rapid condemnation of Tuesday’s attack, expressing their deepest condolences to the family of the victim and to Nepal, as well as to the United Nations.

“The members of the Security Council condemned in the strongest terms all attacks and provocations against MONUSCO. They underlined that deliberate attacks targeting peacekeepers may constitute war crimes under international law. The members of the Security Council called on the Congolese authorities to swiftly investigate this attack and bring the perpetrators to justice, and to keep the relevant troop-contributing country informed of the progress.”

The Council also expressed concern “at the increase of armed group activity in the eastern provinces”, and once again, condemned all armed groups operating in the country. They called on “all actors” to end violence and their violations and abuse of international human rights and international humanitarian law.

Ambassadors stressed the importance of MONUSCO “having the necessary capacities to fulfil its mandate and promote, including by taking additional measures as appropriate, the safety and security of the United Nations peacekeepers and its operations, pursuant to relevant Security Council resolutions.”

Helicopter crash

Just last week, a helicopter carrying our reconnaissance for MONUSCO, crashed over eastern DRC, killing eight peacekeepers and UN observers, six from Pakistan, one Russian and one Serbian.

Some reports cited a news release from the Congolese military, accusing an armed group of shooting down the helicopter.

They had been reporting on community displacement movements, following armed attacks, in order to coordinate humanitarian assistance, according to news reports.

The UN said last week that it was too early to establish the exact cause of the crash, which took place in North Kivu, but confirmed that there had been clashes in the days preceding the incident, between M23 militia, and Congolese troops on the ground.