Bunia, 27 June 2012 - The Ituri district, in the northeastern Oriental Province, has, for a long time, suffered from the torments of armed conflicts. The civilian population has been the victim of all kinds of abuses and exactions, but now there is hope for a better future. It is against this backdrop that the International Day in Support of Victims of Torture was celebrated in Ituri this Wednesday, 27 June 2013. This commemoration was organized…
Kinshasa, 27 June 2013 - The Chief of the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (MONUSCO), Roger Meece, left the Mission yesterday afternoon after completing his term of office as Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General in the DRC. Staff members noteworthy among them the Deputy-Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General and humanitarian Coordinator, Moustapha Soumaré…
Kinshasa, 27 June 2013 – Continued attacks against civilians by Mayi-Mayi combatants, under the command of Ntabo Ntaberi Sheka, in Walikale territory, North Kivu, remain a major concern for MONUSCO. Sheka has been accused since 2010 of serious Human Rights violations, including killings, sexual violence, abduction of civilians and lootings in Walikale territory. On 6 June 2013, the Special Representative of the Secretary-General and Head of…
Kisangani, 24 June 2013 – Gender-based violence is common place in the territory of Banalia located in the district of Tshopo, Orientale province. This phenomenon is mostly noted in the mining areas where women's rights are constantly trampled on. To curb this scourge, MONUSCO, the French acronym for United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo, has stepped up its sensitization campaigns in the area…
Goma, 17 June 2013 - The Special Representative of the Secretary-General, Roger Meece, ended a two-day visit to Goma last week-end. This was his last visit to the regional capital of eastern DRC before his departure from the country after a three-year term as the Head of the United Nations Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO). Mr. Meece was accompanied by the Force Commander, General Carlos Alberto dos Santos…
Mbuji-Mayi, 17 June 2013 – The United Nations Joint Office in Western Kasai, in collaboration with the provincial Planning Ministry and the National Youth Council, organized a series of conferences in the provincial capital, Mbuji-Mayi, to make local young people aware of the new configuration of the United Nations in this province. The conferences were aimed at young members of political parties, members of the Provincial Youth Council, and…
Bunia, 15 June 2013 – The Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Roger Meece, travelled to Bunia, district of Ituri, province Orientale, on 14 June 2013, to bid farewell to the UN staff and local authorities. "I am leaving the country, and it is for real this time," the Special Representative said, alluding to other times when he left the DRC and had to return for duty. "I regret that…
Kinshasa, 17 June 2013 - The Joint Technical Working Group in charge of the implementation of the Action Plan to prevent and stop the recruitment and use of children by armed groups organized an official ceremony in the Congolese capital Kinshasa on 17 June 2013, to commemorate the Day of the African Child. The event was attended by senior government officials, as well as highly ranking military representatives, members of the diplomatic corps…
Goma, 12 June 2013 - The last batch of the Tanzanian troops committed to the Force Intervention Brigade arrived in Goma, North Kivu province, on 5 June 2013. They will be part of the 3,069 strong force, to which Malawi and South Africa are the other two contributing countries. The creation of a Brigade with an aggressive mandate was stressed by the international community last year after the M23 occupied Goma momentarily in November 2012. The…