Béni – 7 July 2017: After Erengeti, Mavivi and Mayangose districts in the city of Béni, two more districts in Béni are now lit with solar energy as part of the MONUSCO-funded project for the reduction of community violence which will contribute to civilians’ protection and facilitate the ex-combatants’ reintegration.

The 20 electricity poles, installed by the ex-combatants and vulnerable young people light 700 meters’ space in the district of Nzuma, divided by the A road 04, with 10  electricity poles installed over 350 meters’ length.

With this solar street lighting, criminal gangs operating during the nights in the districts will be easily identified and prosecuted by Congolese security forces. The solar street lighting will also benefit road users with a view to reducing accidents and traders to keep their shops running till late, and school students to study during the night.

Twenty two ex-combatants and twenty young vulnerable young people including ten women worked for the installation of the solar street lighting project worth roughly fifty two thousand eight hundreds US dollars, initiated by the Force Intervention Brigade and funded by MONUSCO’s Disarmament, Demobilization and Reintegration Section. The project helped the beneficiaries acquire new skills and receive some revenues to help them fund their own revenue-generating project.

“The MONUSCO’s violence reduction project comes in at the right time when the reintegration process is under way. Each demobilized receives a salary worth US$ 130/month, which is quite substantial given the current social and economic context. We trust the money will be used advisedly to reinforce their reintegration kit,” declared René Siléki, Chief of UEPN-DDR in the Grand-Nord.

MONUSCO Beni office OIC, for his part, called on the armed groups, especially the young people to hand over weapons and to join the demobilization process with a view to contributing to the stabilization and development of the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Anne HERRMANN