Goma, 3 December 2012 – While visiting Goma in Nord Kivu province, from 1 to 2 December 2012, General Babacar Gaye, Head of the Military Department of Peacekeeping Operations and Chief Military Advisor to the United Nations Secretary-General, gave an interview on Radio Okapi. RADIO OKAPI: WHAT ARE THE REASONS FOR YOUR VISIT HERE IN NORD KIVU? WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF YOUR STAY? BABACAR GAYE: Mr. Ladsous [Hervé Ladsous, Under-Secretary-General for…
5 December 2012 – The security and humanitarian situation in the Kivu provinces in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) remains fragile, a United Nations spokesperson said today, adding that the world body is continuing to assist the country on both fronts. The province of North Kivu has been the site of upheaval and a humanitarian crisis recently, with the occupation of its capital city, Goma, by the 23 March Movement (M23) armed group…
Mbandaka, 30 November 2012 – After a month-long dispute between the Governor of Equateur province, Jean-Claude Baende, and the Provincial Assembly Speaker, Jean-Gontran Ibambe, the two local authorities are back to a cordial relationship thanks to mediation efforts of the United Nations organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (MONUSCO). Relations between Governor Baende and Speaker Ibambe turned sour towards the end…
Mbandaka, 30 November 2012 - The Centre de Formation international en Droits humains et Développement (International Human Rights and Development Training Center) launched a training workshop in Mbandaka, the provincial capital of Equateur on 20 November 2012. The 10-day training workshop was intended for human rights activists from across the province. The organizers received support from the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in…
Kananga, 3 December 2012 – A three-day awareness campaign to take vitamin A supplements and to disinfest children was launched on 27 November in Kananga, Kasaï Occidental, by the provincial Minister of Health in partnership with UNICEF. Several local authorities as well as representatives of international organizations, including an official from the provincial Health Ministry, the mayor of Katoka district in Kananga, and the provincial…
Mbandaka, 26 November 2012 – The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (MONUSCO), through its Civil Affairs section, organized a four-day institutional capacity strengthening seminar starting on 26 November for civil society thematic working groups in Mbandaka, Equateur province. Overall, the workshop aims at contributing to the process of…
4 December 2012 – Amid reports of volatility in the area, the United Nations refugee agency today said it is concerned about the security of displaced people in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) after an attack on a camp outside of the provincial city of Goma over the weekend. While there were no deaths or serious injuries, people's homes and the pharmacy of the Mugunga III camp for internally displaced persons (IDPs) were looted…
1 December 2012 – The United Nations has welcomed the withdrawal of the 23 March Movement (M23) armed group from Goma, a provincial capital in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), while also calling for stability be maintained in order to allow for humanitarian aid to reach those in need. "We welcome this withdrawal, but emphasise that this is an early step and that stability in the region remains very fragile," the spokesperson…
3 December 2012 – The head of the United Nations peacekeeping mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) today expressed disappointment at a recent decision taken by national authorities to suspend the transmissions of Radio Okapi, a radio station backed by the world body. "This is particularly unfortunate given the current very sensitive and difficult situation in North Kivu province," said the Secretary-General's Special Representative…
3 December 2012 – The humanitarian situation in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) remains "extremely worrying," a United Nations official said today, with at least 130,000 displaced persons in and around the city of Goma who fled the fighting in the area over the past two weeks and are in urgent need of basic services. "The protection of the civilian population must be a priority for all, in line with the ongoing efforts of…