UN Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations, Jean-Pierre Lacroix, arrived in Kinshasa on Tuesday (October 19) from New York, United States of America.

On a six-day mission to the DRC, the French diplomat intends to assess MONUSCO’s mandate with Congolese authorities and various UN partners.

He was met at N’djili International Airport by the Special Representative of the UN Secretary General in the DRC and MONUSCO chief, Bintou Keita.

The day after his arrival, Jean-Pierre Lacroix, accompanied by Ms. Keita, met several representatives of various Congolese communities, especially those of North Kivu including Paluku Kandu, the leader of the Nande community in Kinshasa.

He expressed the hope to see the United Nations become more involved in restoring trust between the different communities in this province.

The people of North Kivu indeed aspire "to live together better" and hope to see MONUSCO and the United Nations support them in this direction.

This is what Samuel Rumashana, leader of the Hutu community said after his meeting with Jean-Pierre Lacroix.

After Kinshasa, the UN Peace Department chief Jean-Pierre Lacroix will be in Kalemie, Tanganyika to assess the process for the UN Mission’s exit in those areas, including the implementation of the "Triple Nexus".

This approach consists of strengthening the presence of the United Nations, in particular through its agencies, in anticipation for the withdrawal of the UN Peace Mission from Tanganyika province in June 2022.

UN Deputy Secretary General is also expected in North Kivu, particularly in Goma, Beni and Butembo to meet with the provincial authorities, as well as civil society and political actors in this province.