Bunia, 27 August 2013 - The United Nations Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (MONUSCO) officially handed the prison cell of the prosecutor's office in Bunia, Eastern province to local judicial authorities on Tuesday, 27 August 2013, after completing rehabilitation and extension work.

The rehabilitation and extension work came in following a series of visits made by MONUSCO and Human Rights NGOs to the sites as well as discussions with the office of the prosecutor's office. The visits helped understand the alarming conditions in which inmates were detained in the overpopulated exiguous prison cell with inadequate airing.

Moreover, besides the advanced dilapidated state of the prison, the risks for inmates' escaping was increasing, putting at risk the population living in the surrounding areas especially when police operations are conducted to prevent such escapes.

To address this problem, MONUSCO, within the framework of its quick impact projects decided to commit $ 16,393 to the rehabilitation and extension projects for the detention cells. The action is part of the UN Stabilization Mission's support to the Justice sector.

The rehabilitated and extended prison cell has now a surface area of about 49 square meters with accommodation capacity of roughly 30 inmates, thus reducing to the maximum the risks of escapes.

During the handing over ceremony, the acting chief of MONUSCO office in Ituri, in his opening statement, expressed his wishes to see the new prison cell fully play its part and contribute to the improvement of detention conditions in Bunia.

Amadou Maïga/ MONUSCO