Goma, 22 March 2013 – The food products were handed in a ceremony held on 21 March 2013 at the district commissioner's office of the town of Kitchanga, attended by the representative of the provincial commissioner for the Congolese National Police Force (PNC) in Nord-Kivu, the chief of the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (MONUSCO) as well as all the Kitchanga-posted PNC members. The assistance is intended for a community badly affected by the recent armed conflicts between the "Alliance des Patriotes pour un Congo Libre et Souverain (APCLS) and the Congolese Armed Forces (FARDC).

To rescue the disaster-stricken population, MONUSCO transported over 1,100 kg food stuff including vegetables, fish, tea, rice, salt and water.

Through such initiatives, MONUSCO Police Commissioner Abdallah Wafy meant "to incite police officers to ever demonstrate selflessness and commitment to serving under extremely difficult conditions", adding that "there are people who even lost all their properties but continue to serve with loyalty."

The official ceremony was jointly chaired by the chief of MONUSCO Police and representative of provincial PNC commissioner. In his statement, the provincial commissioner representative voiced his satisfaction in the following terms "I express deep appreciation to MONUSCO Police for assisting us after the 27 February and 4 March armed conflicts between FARDC and APCLS that left over 80 dead and 500 houses torched and looted (...) I am very proud of the existing relations between MONUSCO Police and the Congolese National Police Force in the Nord Kivu."

At the end of the ceremony, MONUSCO police representative said: "This is the first portion of our assistance, another consisting of 1,168 kg expected in Kitchanga over the next week."

Clara Padovan/ MONUSCO