KINSHASA: Bintou Keita Encourages Solidarity among Women for a Better Female Leadership in the DRC The Special Representative of the UN Secretary General in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Bintou Keita chaired on March 22 in Kinshasa, a meeting under the theme: "improving women’s leadership in the DRC". Roughly 80 women leaders from the media, politics, civil society, and security forces of the Democratic Republic of Congo took part in this…
As part of the activities commemorating the International Women's Day in Beni, North Kivu, the Women's Engagement Team (FET) of MONUSCO's Malawi Battalion (MALBATT) organized a meeting with women from rural communities in this area to discuss the role of women in building peace. This meeting was mainly aimed at encouraging Congolese women to express themselves freely about their aspirations, but also to act as agents of change within their…
Women peacekeepers challenge the traditionally male-dominated landscape in the peacekeeping environment and serve as role models for women and girls to advocate for their own rights and get out of the 0traditional paths. On the occasion of the " Women’s Month " in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), we met with Mame Rokhaya Lo, squadron chief and the first woman to lead this Formed Police Unit from Senegal (SENFPU) within MONUSCO in Bunia…
Progress has been made in the implementation of the National Action Plan in line with the United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325 on women, peace and security, although further efforts are still required in compliance with the texts and commitments. The observation was made by a hundred Congolese women, including members of the civil society organizations, national and provincial parliamentary institutions and national security forces…
Twenty-three journalists (including seven women) from the four community radio stations in the Walendu Bindi chiefdom, the territory of Irumu in Ituri, received practical training in journalism in a conflict zone. The training was organized by MONUSCO from March 3 to 4, 2022 in Aveba, a locality 75 km from Bunia, where the presence of armed groups remains a reality. This support from MONUSCO through its Public Information section was a response…
On Friday 18 February, when the MONUSCO delegation arrived at the Beni Children's Custodial Institution (EGE) at around 10am, the children in custody there were a little overexcited, because it was sports day. All of them, dressed in sportswear - blue shirts against green - the children were keen to demonstrate their talent in volleyball and basketball. You would think you were on a normal playground. But we are in a "prison", a prison for…
For twenty years, Radio Okapi has been informing women and men in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Created on February 25, 2002, the Radio for Peace gradually became a success story. Its creation coincided with the launch of the democratic process in the DRC, through a forum known as the “Inter-Congolese Dialogue” held in Sun City (South Africa). Thus, on Friday February 25, Radio Okapi’s twentieth anniversary was celebrated across the…
In Goma, the second leg of his three-day visit to the DRC, the United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations held a working session on February 23 with the DRC Minister of Defense, Gilbert Kabanda; in attendance: the provincial military Governor, General Constant Ndima, MONUSCO delegation, including the Special Representative of the UN Secretary General Ms. Bintou Keita and the Deputy Special Representative for operations, Khassim…
"I think we really need to continue and intensify our efforts together (...) There is a need for us to continue to work together so that the [displaced] populations can return to their homes," the UN Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations, Jean-Pierre Lacroix, said on Tuesday 22 February, on his return from a visit to the Roe camp for the displaced in Ituri. The head of UN peace operations arrived the same day in the DRC for a three-day…
The United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations, Jean-Pierre Lacroix, arrived on Tuesday, February 22 in Bunia, the provincial capital of Ituri, in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). This is the first stop on his three-day visit to the DRC that will take him to Goma and Kinshasa. It was 12 h 50 pm (Eastern time) when his plane came to a halt on the tarmac at Murongo airport in Bunia. After being welcomed by the head…