Bukavu, 7 March 2011 – Since 2002, the UN Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (MONUSCO) has facilitated the voluntary return to their original countries of at least two foreign combatants and their dependents each week. In 2010 alone, 1,165 non-Congolese ex-combatants were repatriated through MONUSCO's Demobilization, Disarmament, Repatriation, Reintegration and Resettlement (DDRRR) program, and since the beginning of this…
Bukavu, 3 March 2011 – With the realization that acts of sexual misconduct committed by a small minority have devastating effects on the overall image of peacekeeping, troops of the UN Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (MONUSCO) in Bukavu, South Kivu province, held a workshop designed to explore strategies to attain self-discipline within their ranks. The 20 participants were drawn from different contingents and companies…
Goma, 2 March 2011 – Inspector General Abdallah Wafy, Police Chief of the United Nations Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (MONUSCO,) was in Goma, North Kivu province, where he, along with several provincial authorities, attended two separate award ceremonies. The first ceremony was a medal parade involving 125 MONUSCO police officers, who received the UN medal after completion of seven months of service. The second event…
Lubumbashi, 4 March 2011 - In preparation for the International Women's Day celebrated on the 8th of March, MONUSCO's Public Information Division in Lubumbashi distributed fabrics to five local women's associations. This modest ceremony took place at the headquarters of RECONFORT, a Lubumbashi-based NGO. Among the recipients were women living with the HIV-AIDS virus, widows, refugees as well as women from other vulnerable social groups. Tahirou…
New York, 24 February 2011 – The Police Chief of the United Nations Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (MONUSCO), Abdallah Wafy, expressed concern over preparations for the country's general elections slated for November 2011. He said the Congolese National Police (PNC) was neither trained nor equipped to ensure the security of the coming polls. "To be honest we have numerous concerns. The Congolese National Police are not…
Beni, 28 February 2011 – With general elections slated for November this year, the United Nations Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (MONUSCO) is providing training to boost the National Police capacity in handling security and public order during the polls. As part of this effort, the UN Mission held a capacity-building workshop for police officers deployed in the locality of Oicha, 30 km northeast of the town of Beni…
Beni, 28 February 2011 – In order to facilitate the movement of people, goods and services in the town of Beni, the United Nations Stabilization Mission in the DR Congo (MONUSCO) is helping local authorities with an important bridge construction project. On 28 February, MONUSCO peacekeepers deployed in Beni donated 25 bags of cement for the construction of this bridge, which will link Kalinda and Ngongolio neighborhoods in the district of…
Kinshasa, 25 February 2011 – The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has received a 3.4 million-dollars grant to fund a project intended for the demining of large areas around the international airport of Kisangani, in the Oriental Province. The grant is from the Japanese government. As a key transit point between the east and the west of the DRC, Kisangani often served different armed movements and groups in conflicts. According to demining…
Béni, 26 February 2011 – The Jordanian Special Force currently deployed in the United Nations Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (MONUSCO) held a medal parade on 26 February. MONUSCO Force Commander Lieutenant-General Chander Prakash presided over the ceremony which took place in Beni, North Kivu province, where the Jordanian Special Company is stationed. Col Al-Smadi Abdel Sallam, Commander of the Jordanian Special Force, told his men:…
Lubumbashi, 23 February 2011 – A seminar for providing training in international criminal law to magistrates of the military justice system in Katanga province started in Lubumbashi, the provincial capital, on February 23rd. The 3-day training seminar involves 37 magistrates of the local military court, and is organized by the Rule of Law Division of the United Nations Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (MONUSCO) together…