Kinshasa, 13 May 2009 - At its weekly press conference today, MONUC announced that a UN Security Council delegation will visit the DRC on 18-19 May 2009. They are expected to visit Goma in North Kivu province on Monday 18 May, followed by meetings in Kinshasa on Tuesday 19 May with the DRC political authorities and President Joseph Kabila.
The Security Council’s visit to the DRC forms part of their African tour from 14-21 May 2009, where they will also visit Ethiopia, Rwanda and Liberia. In Goma, the delegation is expected to meet with prominent local authorities, including provincial governor Julien Paluku.
Other items on the itinerary include a meeting with humanitarian actors, a visit to the “Heal Africa” hospital for victims of sexual violence in Goma, as well as a visit to Kiwanja to meet with local authorities and Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs).
In addition to its meeting with President Kabila in Kinshasa, the delegation is expected to meet with the Presidents of the Senate and the National Assembly, as well as the DRC Prime Minister Adolphe Muzito.
Issues high on the Security Council delegation’s agenda include exploring ways and means of reinforcing the dynamics of regional peace, an evaluation of the security situation in eastern DRC and the reinforcement of the rule of law and state authority in the country.
Activities of the Special Representative
Special Representative Alan Doss is on a weeklong working visit to Europe, and is in London where he is meeting with members of Parliament as well as NGOs that work in the DRC. Tomorrow he will take part in a United Nations conference on “robust peacekeeping operations.”
On 11-12 May last, he was in Brussels where he took part in a meeting for the Contact Group for the Great Lakes Region, and gave a briefing to 27 members of the European Union Political and Security Committee.
DDRRR activities
Voluntary repatriation activities to Rwanda continue. As of 12 May 2009, the total number of people repatriated in 2009 stands at 7,927. 912 war veterans and 1,152 of their dependents have been repatriated by MONUC’s Disarmament, Demobilisation, Repatriation, Resettlement and Reintegration (DDRRR) team and 5,863 civilians have been repatriated by the UN High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR).
MONUC hands over weapons recovered through the Amani programme
to the FARDC
During a ceremony chaired by the Mayor of Beni on 11 May 2009, MONUC’s Beni and Butembo office in North Kivu province officially handed over an important batch of weapons to the DRC Armed Forces (FARDC).
The weapons were recovered from Mai Mai combatants who voluntarily decided to engage in the DRC peace process. The batch included 100 AK-47 assault rifles, 942 cases of ammunition, a rifle, two grenades and 29 detonators.