Uvira, 27 May 2016 – Like in many parts of the DRC, in Uvira, this Day was celebrated earlier on Friday 27 May as it fell on Sunday. A hundred invitees met at the Conference room of MONUSCO HQ: students from secondary school and universities, farmers, FARDC and PNC personnel and members of “Clubs des Amis de la Monusco (MONUSC0 Friends’ club) joined MONUSCO’s staff, “in paying tribute to the men and women who had served and those who continue to serve in peacekeeping operations, for their level of professionalism, dedication and courage  and honoring the memory of the fallen peacekeepers while on duty, serving the cause of the peace”, under the UNSC Resolution 57/129 issued by the United Nations General Assembly on 11 December 2002, dedicating the international Day for UN peacekeepers.

A moment of silence in memory of those men and women who lost their lives in the cause of the Peace across the world and in the DRC was observed. Extending welcome to the invitees, Ould Mohamed El Hacen, Chief of Monusco-Uvira sub-office recalled the DRC’s long walk to the Peace prevailing today, “with everyone’s support : Policemen, civilians and military members, women, civil society, not to mention MONUC renamed MONUSCO”. He paid tribute to the men and women who, day after day, risk their lives to save the lives of others, for the restored peace yet to be consolidated, before concluding peacekeeping is a high risk job.

A documentary-film was projected which led to a productive exchange (questions and responses) between MONUSCO and the participants. During the exchange some participants sought to know the requirements to become a Peacekeeper and the preventive measures taken by MONUSCO to prevent any deterioration of the social and political climate; others were rather eager to know what were the real motivations having led the peacekeepers to leave their families and countries to risk their lives in the peacekeeping Missions across the world, and how peacekeeping Missions are funded… Before wounding up this first part of the Day, UNSG’s Message was read out for the occasion by a member student of the Club of MONUSCO’s Friends in Uvira.      

“All of us Peacekeepers”. To wound up the first part of the ceremony, Ould Mohamed El Hacen delivered a strong message both to the invitees and the Congolese population: all of us: civilians, military and police personnel, teachers, students, businessmen…are peacekeepers: we must promote values such as tolerance, respect for diversity and dialogue; without such universal values no peaceful coexistence would be possible. “Peace, he said, is our common share, everyone’s business”! Participants were invited to collaborate with the Defense and Security Force, to prioritize peaceful means to dialogue and never resort to violence which will bring nothing but desolation, war and destruction.

“Hoes and machetes donated to fight insecurity…”. Another highlight of the celebrations of the International Day of the UN Peacekeepers in Uvira was MONUSCO’s support to two local structures working for peace, economic and social peace: !. Noyaux de Paix of the city of Uvira, with 13 groups, the majority of whom women; their role is to denounce any suspicious presence of weapons or persons in the City and participate in the fight against unemployment and poverty and all breeding grounds for insecurity, attracting young people to join the different armed groups mushrooming in the Territories of Fizi and Uvira. To encourage this initiative, MONUSCO donated hoes and machetes to the different Noyaux de Paix in Uvira. MONUSCO also donated to the committee for the follow-up of human rights violations (FARDC-UN joint Human Rights Office-Uvira): table and plastic chairs, reams of papers, ball pens, pencils, staplers and staples, note books, guest register books, date stamps, erasers, envelopes, etc. This is the only such Committee operational in the DRC. It helps improve collaboration between FARDC military command, MONUSCO and Military Justice. It also helps advance judiciary process on serious human rights violations such as torture, arbitrary executions or rapes. Thanks to this Committee, alleged authors of violations committed by FARDC have been brought to court; this enables the Government to fight impunity play up the image of the Armed Forces of the DRC, that of a republican and professional army, respectful of the laws of the Republic.