Goma, 22 March 2011 – The Uruguayan contingent in the UN Stabilization Mission in the DR Congo (MONUSCO) unveiled a monument dedicated to the memory of those who died during conflicts in North Kivu in Goma on 22 March.

Uruguayan peacekeepers have been in the region since 2008 and the unveiling of this monument came days after the contingent completed its troops' rotation.

During the ceremony, the governor of the province, Julien Paluku, expressed the hope that the "monument would appeal to everyone's conscience to end death as a result of the barbaric acts of humans."
The monument consists of two art pieces representing a functional piece of artillery and a pile of non-functioning arms. It sits in the courtyard of the Goma sports club at the foot of Mount Goma.

The Monument costs US$ 15,000, of which US$ 7,000 from the community of Goma.

Sylvestre Kilolo / Radio Okapi / MONUSCO