Bukavu, 14 December 2010 – The police unit of the United Nations Stabilization Mission in the DR Congo (MONUSCO) and the Provincial Division of Mines have jointly trained 40 Congolese National Police officers (PNC), drawn from the two Kivus, in securing minerals trade centres. The three-week training started on November 22.

The officers, 24 from North and 16 from South Kivu, were trained at the Jules Moke Training Centre in Bukavu on capacity-building as well as guidance on their role at the mining trading posts. The sessions focused on self-defense, intervention tactics, human rights and the illegal exploitation of natural resources.

The absence of such trained officers had led to a serious loss of revenue for the government both at provincial and national levels. It is hoped that such training will eventually contribute to the settlement of conflicts in the Great Lakes region in general, and Eastern DRC in particular.

Within the framework of the Eastern DRC's stabilization, a decision to establish minerals trading centers in the mining sites was taken in order to normalise mining activities and ensure traceability of the traded mineral resources.

Each of the officers received a certificate at the end of the training.

In her closing remarks, the acting head of MONUSCO in South Kivu, Mrs. Christine Kapalata, spoke of the Mission's support to the "stabilization process in which police training and deployment are some of the most important pillars." This support, she told the gathering, is in accordance with UNSC Resolution 1925 requesting MONUSCO to assist the DRC Government in fighting the illegal exploitation of its natural resources and reinforcing its capacities in this respect.

The training was funded by the International Organization for Migration (IOM).