Deputy SRSG in DRC visits Sud-Ubangui with a government delegation

Libenge, 20 July 2011 – Deputy Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General and Humanitarian Coordinator, Fidele Saraasoro, was part of a 20-member delegation, comprising representatives from the DR Congo government and the United Nations which arrived in the town of Gemena, Sud-Ubangui District, Equateur Province to assess the humanitarian and security situation in the region.

Between 2009 and 2010, the district of Sud-Ubangi was the scene of an armed insurrection during which several tens of thousands of Congolese were forced to flee into the neighbouring Congo-Brazzaville.

Issues regarding the return of these Congolese refugees and those internally displaced were at the core of the delegation's Sud-Ubangi visit which lasted from 20 to 22 July.

Shortly after their arrival Gemena, capital of Sud-Ubangi, the delegation headed to the locality of Libenge located some 180 kilometres South-east of Gemena. While there the Deputy Minister spoke to the returnees, encouraging them to convey this message to those still staying in Congo-Brazzaville. Peace is a palpable reality today across Equateur in general and Sud-Ubangi in particular, the Deputy Prime Minister said. The ongoing electoral process in the DRC, he said, is an additional reason for these Congolese to return home so as to participate in it.

But reportedly both returnees and the population at large have been facing harassment from Congolese Migration and Police officers in this region, which would explain in part why some refugees in Congo-Brazzaville are reluctant to return home. Speaking on this matter, the Deputy Prime Minister promised to report the issue to the government once he is back in Kinshasa so measures could be taken to punish those responsible for these acts.

The members of the delegation then travelled to the locality of Dongo, whence they would cross to Betu in Congo-Brazzaville on Friday, 22 July. Several tens of thousands of refugees from the DRC had fled to safety in Betu following the 2009 and 2009 bouts of unrest in Sud-Ubangi.

Jean-Tobie Okala/MONUSCO