Kinshasa, 5 January 2015 – “The joint operation FARDC-MONUSCO against FNL is a strong signal for all armed groups, including the FDLR: the only way toward peace is through voluntary disarmament,” recalled Martin Kobler. FARDC troops backed by MONUSCO’s attack helicopters and the Force Intervention Brigade took control of the FNL main bases in Ruhoha, 25 km east of Uvira in South Kivu province. “We are prepared to fight all armed groups and…
Nairobi, 02 January 2015 – Today, 2 January 2015, marks the expiration of the six month grace period granted by the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region (ICGLR) and the Southern African Development Community (SADC) for the full and unconditional surrender and demobilization of the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR). The Team of International Envoys, comprised of UN Special Envoy for the Great Lakes Said Djinnit…
In the territory of Rutshuru, International Humanitarian NGOs threaten to interrupt their activities if nothing is done to ensure their security. They made this declaration in a joint communiqué published a few days ago in the Rutshuru – centre. This firm stand is consecutive to the deterioration of the security situation in this territory. The provincial governor has reassured his humanitarian partners that the Congolese government will do…
In Goma, some twenty human rights activists have completed training in techniques for collecting judicial data relating to sexual violence. They attended a three-day training workshop held from 15 to 17 December 2014 by the United Nations Joint Human Rights Office (UNJHRO), in partnership with the Congolese government. This training was designed for civil society organizations that are partners of the UNJHRO in the context of the program to fight…
Bunia, 15 Dec.2014: As part of the professional and operational capacity-building for senior and junior staff members of the Congolese National Police (PNC) in the territory of Mambasa, MONUSCO Police in Bunia officially launched the training for the 245 police members on Monday 15 December in a ceremony held at the Bunia Police Academy attended by local authorities and heads of MONUSCO sections. Scheduled for 6 months, the training will focus on…
Conviction of Lieutenant-Colonel Bedi Engangela alias « Colonel 106 » is a strong message to perpetrators of human rights abuses, says MONUSCO Kinshasa, 16 December 2014 - MONUSCO welcomes the conviction and sentencing to life imprisonment of Lieutenant-Colonel Bedi Engangela (aka “Colonel 106”) on 15 December 2014 by the South Kivu Military Court, for crimes against humanity including rape, sexual slavery, and murder, committed in South Kivu…
Uvira, South-Kivu, 10 December 2014 - Non-government Human Rights Organizations in In Uvira, South Kivu took the opportunity of the commemoration of the International Human Rights Day to call upon the Congolese Government “to do everything in its power” to help the local population to have easy access to justice and improve the overall human rights situation in the territories of Fizi and Uvira. The rights NGOs applauded the increased judiciary…
In Kisangani, Oriental Province, the Public Information Division of the United Nations Stabilization Mission in the DR Congo (MONUSCO), between 3 and 12 December 2014, provided to the local population a series of information, awareness and exchange sessions on the mission’s mandate. Organized in partnership with the NGO Défense Sociale Pour le Progrès et le Développement Rural (DSPDR), this awareness-raising campaign reached out to nearly 800…
Goma, 6 December 2014 - As part of their civilian-military (CIMIC) activities, peacekeepers from MONUSCO’s Uruguayan battalion (URUBATT), in collaboration with the Mission’s welfare committee, held a 20 km race walking event on 6 December 2014 to raise funds to help the vulnerable children at the local “Flame of Love” orphanage. The event, dubbed “ The hard walk 2014, a competition against death… for an opportunity to give life”, involved around…