Jacques Miroza The MONUSCO Child Protection Section, in collaboration with the Network of Civil Society Organizations Fighting against the Recruitment and Use of Children by Armed Forces and Groups (ROSCCRESGA), organized a strategic workshop in Goma on 16 October to bolster collective efforts to prevent and address the recruitment and use of children by armed groups. The initiative comes amid persistent insecurity in eastern Democratic Republic…
Marylène Seguy The International Day of the Girl was marked on 14 October in Goma by the BI-ESTHER Foundation, with support from MONUSCO’s Gender Section. Around fifty young girls from various local organizations took part in a workshop focused on their rights, their role in peacebuilding, and efforts to end gender-based violence. In this province of eastern DRC, scarred by years of armed conflict, girls and young women remain among the most…
Jean-Tobie Okala Amid the rapid evolution of digital and financial technologies, MONUSCO is intensifying its support to Congolese judicial institutions. Since 13 October, a specialized training session has been taking place in Beni for judicial police inspectors as well as civilian and military magistrates. Organized by the Justice Support Section, the two-week workshop themed: “ Cryptocurrency and encrypted exchanges: new challenges in combating…
Jean-Tobie Okala Restored bridges, a refurbished farm road and newly installed solar streetlights. MONUSCO officially handed over several Quick Impact Projects on 14 October 2025 to local authorities and community representatives in the territories of Mahagi and Djugu. Implemented in partnership with communities, these initiatives enhance security, promote social cohesion and boost local trade in areas long affected by armed conflict…
Jean-Tobie Okala The MONUSCO Force opened fire on Tuesday, 14 October 2025, to prevent armed elements of the CODECO group from attacking displaced persons in the villages of Ndachulu, Maze and Largu, in Djugu territory, Ituri province. Early in the morning, around 7:40 a.m. local time, residents of Ndachulu were awakened by heavy gunfire from CODECO militiamen attempting to attack the Rhoe displaced persons site, located about one hundred…
Jean-Tobie Okala A campaign to break taboos To mark World Mental Health Day, celebrated every 10 October, MONUSCO supported several awareness activities in Djugu territory and the city of Bunia, in Ituri province. The initiative encouraged open dialogue on mental health and emphasized peace as a key factor in promoting psychological well-being. An often-overlooked issue In a region marked by years of conflict, where trauma has become part of…
Didier Vignon Dossou-Gbakon Bunia, 10 October 2025 – After two weeks of intensive exercises, 120 members of the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (FARDC) completed, on Friday 10 October 2025, a specialized training course conducted by the MONUSCO Force in Bunia. The training, led by the Blue Helmets of MONUSCO’s North Sector, was designed to strengthen the technical and operational skills of Congolese troops deployed in Ituri…
In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Olukemi Ibikunle, a Nigerian corrections officer serving with MONUSCO, is helping transform prisons into places that uphold dignity and foster peace. Combining her experience in corrections management and engineering, she works to create facilities that are safer, more humane, and better equipped to support rehabilitation and reintegration. Engineering change behind prison walls Within MONUSCO’s…
Jean-Tobie Okala After several years of intercommunal tensions, members of the Hema and Lendu communities in four groupings of Djugu territory are once again living in an atmosphere of calm. Through a locally driven dialogue initiative supported by MONUSCO, the two communities are gradually rebuilding the social and economic ties that had been disrupted. An old divide Since 2017, relations between the Hema and Lendu communities had severely…
Jean-Tobie Okala The offices of Gender, Family and Children Affairs, Social Affairs and Youth Coordination now have a new functional headquarters in Oicha, the chief town of Beni Territory, in North Kivu. This project, funded by MONUSCO through its Quick Impact Projects (QIPs), contributes to restoring State authority and strengthening social cohesion in an area long affected by armed violence, particularly by ADF rebels. Un appui essentiel aux…