During a ceremony held on 28 June 2022 at MONUSCO's "Incal" site in Kinshasa, the Deputy Special Representative of the UN Secretary General in the DRC for Protection and Operations, Khassim Diagne, officially handed over a batch of equipment to the Congolese government's Demobilisation, Disarmament, Community and Social Reintegration Programme (PDDRCS).

The equipment includes six light vehicles, office furniture, audio-visual and sound recording equipment, megaphones and other logistical equipment for the production of video and audio outreach materials.

According to the deputy head of MONUSCO, "this batch of equipment is intended to strengthen the mobility and improve the working conditions of the provincial coordinators and to support the mobilisation, sensitisation and implementation of provincial plans" of the PDDRCS.

Tommy Tambwe Ushindi, coordinator of the programme, thanked MONUSCO for the donation which, he said, is timely, as the PDDRCS has just adopted its national strategy and is finalising its national operational plan, and at the very moment it is taking over in Tanganyika province. Indeed, MONUSCO's operations in Tanganyika end on 30 June.

"The PDDRCS] is represented in the provinces through the provincial coordinators in the three priority provinces. It is in the process of going down to the provinces to support the coordinations in developing their specific operational plans. This equipment will help the national coordination and the entire programme to get back on track. This gesture goes straight to our hearts and brings us closer to our goals," he said.

Tommy Tambwe expressed his desire to see the partner MONUSCO continue its support to his institution.

"I do hope that this donation is only a first one that will be followed by others in view of the scope of our partnership and the expectations in the provinces and in the territorial branches," he said.

The Democratic Republic of Congo adopted a national strategy for the implementation of the PDDRCS for ex-combatants on 17 March in Kinshasa during a workshop chaired by Prime Minister Jean-Michel Sama Lukonde Kyenge.

The programme is based on five major pillars, including Conflict Resolution, Restoration of State Authority and Security, Economic Recovery and Community Reintegration, Stabilisation, Economic and Social Development, and Communication and Outreach in Eastern DRC.

For MONUSCO, the operationalisation of the DDRCS programme province by province is one of the three conditions to definitively resolve the problem of armed groups in the DRC, including the M23. A firm military response to any provocation and a political commitment in good faith are the two other conditions cited by the Special Representative of the UN Secretary General in the DRC, Bintou Keita, at a press conference in Kinshasa on 2 June.