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 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…
Kinshasa, 3 October 2025 – The United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO) strongly condemns the resurgence of violence on 2 October in Djugu territory, Ituri Province, which resulted in the deaths of more than thirteen individuals, including displaced civilians and at least seven members of armed groups.
Jean-Tobie Okala More than 2,500 civilians, including approximately 1,200 women and 500 children, sought refuge near the MONUSCO base in Gina, a locality about 40 kilometers northeast of Bunia, the provincial capital of Ituri. They fled heavy gunfire heard shortly before nightfall and continuing into the evening. Residents from Panga Panga, Tsuru, and Liko villages left their homes and gathered around the base. Some were sheltered in classrooms…