Sixteen decentralized territorial entities in the Beni Territory received mobility support from MONUSCO on Monday, October 12. The support consisted of 16 motorcycles provided under a security governance project implemented by the Civil Affairs Section. The project aims to improve the mobility of local authorities in order to promote grassroots governance and ensure that the concerns of local communities are better addressed.
The beneficiaries include the municipalities of Bulongo, Lume and Kasindi-Lubirigha, the Ruwenzori sector, as well as several neighborhood chiefs in the city of Beni.
For local authorities, this donation addresses a long-standing need in areas where travel remains difficult, particularly because of the lack of road infrastructure or its deteriorated condition.
“Today, local administrative leaders are receiving means of transportation. This donation will significantly ease their work. From now on, lack of accessibility can no longer be cited as an obstacle. We welcome this donation from MONUSCO and assure you that this improvement will also help enhance the quality of our work on the ground. With these resources, they will be better able to carry out their duties,” said Arnold Isse Muhambo, the mayor of Lume.
Authorities in Kasindi-Lubirigha expressed similar satisfaction.
“Today, thanks to this donation, local administrative officials will be able to respond more quickly to the concerns of the community. Imagine the distances our officials sometimes had to travel on motorcycle taxis to respond to alerts from the population. It was a real hardship,” said Mayor Gilbert Bwambale Mughanirya.
Support for security governance
According to MONUSCO, this initiative falls within the scope of its mandate to support local authorities in strengthening security and protecting civilians.
“This handover of equipment is part of the support provided to local authorities to improve their mobility and promote better security governance within their respective areas (...). The main objective is to continue supporting local authorities in order to ensure better protection for civilians,” said Adam Salami Obatoki, Coordinator of MONUSCO’s Civil Affairs Section.
This donation follows the handover of 32 motorcycles last June to neighborhood chiefs in the four municipalities of the city of Beni, as part of ongoing efforts to strengthen grassroots governance and improve community security.
Jean-Tobie Okala
