Kisangani, 27 June 2011 – To commemorate the International Day in Support of Victims of Torture, the Human Rights Section of the United Nations Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (MONUSCO) in Province Orientale, organized a workshop on 25 June to sensitize the local population on issues pertaining to torture. The workshop took place at the Palm Beach Hotel in Kisangani, the provincial capital, bringing together State and…
Kinshasa, 29 June 2011 – Health authorities in the Democratic Republic of Congo recently detected several cases of cholera in the capital, Kinshasa, as well as inside the country. The outbreak has been confirmed by the World Health Organization (WHO), the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) and several NGOs working in the health sector. The United Nations Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (MONUSCO) has also observed…
Bukavu, 01 July 2011 - Since May 2011, the South Kivu Brigade launched four military operations, each lasting two weeks and they were given different names. The goals of these different operations are not always clearly understood by the population who would, on the contrary, like MONUSCO to conduct one big unilateral operation to chase out all the armed groups. To tell us about the Why and How of these operations, the South Kivu Brigade…
Kinshasa, 24 June 2011: The Special Representative of the Secretary-General, Roger Meece, expresses deep concern over the reports of mass rapes in Fizi Territory, South Kivu, and launches a joint assessment mission to the affected villages as part of the United Nations response to these reports. According to humanitarian organizations present in this remote area, mass rapes were perpetrated as part of an attack on the villages of Nakiele, Abala…
Bunia, 16 June 2011 – Like in the rest of the Democratic Republic of Congo, the children of Ituri district also celebrated the Day of the African Child. The United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the DR Congo (MONUSCO) sponsored the event to enable the children to celebrate their own day. Ituri is located at the northeastern corner of the DRC, bordering Uganda and South Sudan. In Bunia, the capital of the district, children…
Goma, 20 June 2011 - A 12-member delegation of British Parliamentarians visited Goma on 18 June to assess the impact of the United Kingdom's development aid programs in the region. The British MPs used their visit to get first-hand information about the work of the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the DRC (MONUSCO). The British MPs were met on arrival in Goma by MONUSCO's Head of Office, Ms. Hiroute Guebre Sellassie and the…
Kisangani, 15 June 2011 – A delegation of women from Kinshasa led by fellow representatives from the National Independent Electoral Commission (CENI), and the Electoral Division of the United Nations Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (MONUSCO), arrived in Oriental Province early in June to mobilize their peers to massively participate in the ongoing electoral process. Achieving meaningful participation of women as voters…
Goma, 21 June 2011 – A blood collection for the population of Kiwanja was organized by UN peacekeepers on 18 June. Kiwanja is a town located in the war-ravaged territory of Rutshuru, which borders Uganda and Rwanda, in the province of Nord Kivu. The lingering conflict in the area took a heavy toll on this town by further reducing its already-limited health infrastructures, and living several people dead. As many as 60 peacekeepers took part in…
Goma, 16 June 2011 – The Day of the African Child was celebrated in Goma in the presence of Ms. Leila Zerrougui, Deputy Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). In Goma, capital of Nord-Kivu province, vulnerable children, including those without family ties and the homeless, were honored on this day which is dedicated to the cause of the African Child. These street children came in…
Bukavu, 13 June 2011 – A training programme designed to modernize and professionalize the Congolese police was launched in Bukavu, Sud-Kivu province, on 13 June. The program was made possible through financial support from the United Kingdom Department for International Development (DFID). This first part of this training was attended by 14 officers, who, upon completion, will be required to impart their knowledge and skills upon their peers in…