28 March 2013 – The Security Council today authorized the deployment of an intervention brigade within the current United Nations peacekeeping operation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) to address imminent threats to peace and security. The intervention brigade will carry out targeted offensive operations, with or without the Congolese national army, against armed groups that threaten peace in the eastern part of DRC – a region that…
26 March 2013 – The International Criminal Court (ICC) set 23 September as the start date for the confirmation of charges hearing for Congolese rebel leader Bosco Ntaganda, who made his first appearance before the tribunal today. Mr. Ntaganda faces several counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity – including rape, murder and the recruitment of children – allegedly committed in Ituri province of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC)…
26 March 2013 – Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today discussed the fragile security and humanitarian situation in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) in a meeting with the country's Foreign Minister, Raymond Tshibanda N'tungamulongo. The two men, who met at UN Headquarters, agreed that the upcoming Security Council resolution on the DRC should strengthen the role of the UN peacekeeping mission in the country (MONUSCO) and endorse the…
25 March 2013 – The United Nations peacekeeping mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) today transferred hundreds of Mayi-Mayi combatants to Kinshasa after the rebels turned over their weapons to the peacekeepers this weekend and took part in UN-led mediation. According to information from the UN mission, known by its French acronym MONUSCO, 245 Mayi-Mayi Kata Katanga combatants entered the UN compound on 23 March where they sought…
Kinshasa, 24 March 2013 – The UN Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (MONUSCO) welcomes the peaceful surrender of 245 Mayi-Mayi Kata Katanga combatants who sought refuge inside the MONUSCO compound in Lubumbashi, province of Katanga, on Saturday 23 March, following an earlier attack against the city. The rebels should be handed over soon to the Government, following negotiations mediated by MONUSCO, between the Governor of…
Kinshasa, 19 March 2013 – The UN Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (MONUSCO) welcomes the surrender of the Congolese rebel Bosco Ntaganda and the decision by the United States to transfer him to The Hague, where he is wanted by the International Criminal Court for war crimes and crimes against humanity, committed in Ituri between 2001 and 2003. "The surrender of Bosco Ntaganda and his early transfer to the ICC will help…
Kisangani, 13 March 2013 – During a mobile court hearing held on 18 – 23rd February 2013 at Osio detention centre located 18 kms away from South Kisangani, Orientale province, about a dozen verdicts were issued by the provincial military court. The hearing was funded by the Stabilization and Reconstruction Plan for areas emerging from armed conflict (STAREC), in the area of the fight against Impunity for Sexual violence. Under the leadership of…
Goma, 12 March 2013 – The United Nations Organisation Stabilisation Mission for the Democratic Republic of Congo (MONUSCO) organised 28 February 2013 in Goma, an information-sharing forum with students on MONUSCO's role and youth contribution to the search for solutions to the new fights in Nord Kivu province. The meeting was organized by MONUSCO's public information and civil affairs divisions in collaboration with the provincial coordination of…
Goma, 13 March 2013 – Ten armed elements of the M23 rebel group including eight Congolese police officers and two Rwandan soldiers surrendered on 18 February in Goma to the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (MONUSCO). Natives of the Rutshuru territory, the eight Congolese police officers, backed by the two Rwandan soldiers cited discrimination within their movement, especially in terms of…
Kinshasa, 12 March 2013 – The UN Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (MONUSCO) regrets to announce the death of the four crew members on board of one of its civilian helicopters that crashed on Saturday 09 March some 20 kilometers west of the city of Bukavu, South Kivu province. Their deaths were confirmed Tuesday, 12 March, when a MONUSCO rescue team reached the crash site. The helicopter went missing on Saturday, 09 March…