Dungu, 2 June 2011 – Lieutenant-General Chander Prakash, the Force Commander of the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (MONUSCO), was in Dungu on 2 June to lead a medal parade recognizing the work of Indonesian and Guatemalan peacekeepers deployed in the area.

In his public remarks, the Force Commander said: "It is an honor for me to serve as commander of soldiers who demonstrate such a high level of professionalism in fulfilling their mandate to keep peace and protect the Congolese population."

The Dungu-Faradje road, which was inaugurated on 2 June, was rebuilt by these Indoneasian engineers. The 147-km stretch, which took more than 13 months to complete, has contributed to opening up access to this isolated territory in Province Orientale, and should help reinforce the stabilization and peace consolidation in this region.

The Guatemalan Special Forces on the other hand, have been deployed in this region since December 2010, and have been playing an essential role in protecting local civilian populations. In six months, these forces have conducted more than 20 civilian protection operations in several towns including Bamangana, Doruma, Faradje, and Banda.

In line with its mandate, MONUSCO has established a strong presence in Dungu, a territory that has been used by the Lord Resistance Army (LRA) for its activities in recent years. Dungu is located just some 100 km from the border with South Sudan.

Léocadio Salmeron/ MONUSCO