The Operations Coordinating Committee of the Territory of Uvira met on Thursday

17 aoû 2015

The Operations Coordinating Committee of the Territory of Uvira met on Thursday

This technical structure is the result of one of the recommendations issued from the regular consultations between the United Nations Mission in Congo (MONUSCO) and the Territorial Administration; its main mission is to propose joint strategies to fight insecurity with a view to ensuring a better protection of civilians.

Uvira, 13 August 2015 – Approximately twenty representatives of MONUSCO-Uvira (Civilian Police and Pakistani contingent) and Congolese Security Services (Fardc, National Police, Immigration Authority and National Intelligence Agency) met on Thursday at MONUSCO-Uvira HQ, in South-Kivu.

The purpose of the meeting was to revitalize the Operations Coordinating Committee (CCO) in the Territory of Uvira. This action was part of the recommendation formulated by the 19 April 2015 meeting between MONUSCO and the Territorial Security Council. CCO is a technical structure, unlike the other “political” meetings between MONUSCO and the Security Technical Counsel.

At the beginning of the meeting, Ould Mohamed El Hacen, Chief of MONUSCO-Uvira Sub-Office explained the role of CCO in these terms: “it is a structure where all the security services meet to reflect on what unites us: civilian’s protection”. During this first meeting, participants reviewed the various items likely to enhance security throughout Uvira, a neighboring territory of Burundi where the security situation is still giving cause for concern.

The items adressed included:

  • The Congolese National Police strengths;
  • The logistics means for the Congolese party (mobility, communication, etc.);
  • Organization of joint patrols MONUSCO-PNC-FARDC and their programmation;
  • The terms of collaboration between UN troops and their Congolese counterparts;
  • The repeated raids into the Congolese territory by unidentified armed men from Burundi or other neighboring countries;
  • The definition of neuralgic areas where patrolling will be conducted, etc.

At the end of the meeting, participants came up with the following arrangements:

  • To intensify joint patrols FARDC-PNC-MONUSCO in the city of Uvira as well as in the rest of the eponym Territory;
  • To reinforce military positions along the River Ruzizi with a view to preventing raids from Burundi;
  • To reinforce check-points in remote big agglomerations;
  • To intensify security searches at the borders between DRC, Burundi and Rwanda.

The operations are due to start next week. Participants, for their part, agreed to hold weekly meetings.

Jean-Tobie Okala /MONUSCO