Mitwaba, 15 - 17 January – The Department of plan and Civil Society in South Katanga organized from 15 to 17 January a capacity-building workshop on local development planning in Mitwaba, a locality situated more than 450 Km from Lubumbashi.

The workshop was attended by about forty participants mainly from the public service, civil society organizations as well as from the different sectors and districts of Mitwaba; it received logistic and financial support from MONUSCO, through its Civil Affairs section in Lubumbashi and the International NGO Rescue Committee (IRC).

The organizers of the workshop said its overall objective was to contribute to upgrading State Authority in the territory of Mitwaba and setting enabling conditions for a democratic dialogue that would lead to good governance and genuine local planning.

Its aim was also to build capacities for the stakeholders involved in the local planning process, to identify the specific needs for a smooth functioning of the administrative services, especially those relating to the marital status and to enhance civil society’s participation to the stabilization process.

The workshop helped put in place appropriate mechanisms to facilitate effective collaboration between the various local partners and contribute to the reduction of community tensions and conflicts.

The local Planning Department is looking to organize a forum shortly on the development of districts and sectors in the Haut Katanga.

Participants highlighted that no development could be envisaged without peace. So, civil society organizations in Mitwaba reiterated their appeal for the deployment of MONUSCO peacekeepers in Mitwaba to ensure the security of civilian populations.

The territory of Mitwaba has a surface area of more than 25,000 Km2 and roughly 400,000 people. Mitwaba has one city, two sectors and one district. Its big agglomerations have no infrastructures at all. Roads are very bad; the majority of schools were burnt down by the Mai-Mai militia members. Farmers and growers are victims of insecurity.

For MONUSCO, Mitwaba is high in its priority agenda for security situation remains fragile. The last raids by the Mai-Mai were reported in November in the village Kaya, 300 Km away from Lubumbashi. It is very urgent to reinforce State Authority in the territory of Mitwaba, said the workshop organizers.