UN
United Nations Peacekeeping
3 Mar
2009
Launching of Disarmament and Community Reintegration Programme of the Ituri armed groups "DRC"
Launching of Disarmament and Community Reintegration Programme of the Ituri armed groups 'DRC'.
The Disarmament programme was launched on 1st September 2004, Patricia Tomé, Head of MONUC Public Information announced during MONUC's weekly news conference in Kinshasa on Wednesday.
The programme was launched simultaneously in Mahagi, Kwandroma and Kasenyi. An official ceremony took place in Bunia, the main town in the district of Ituri. It was attended by the DRC government officials, the District Commissioner, Ms. Pétronille Vaweka, the head of CONADER, Mr. Daniel Kawata, and the Director of MONUC office in Ituri, Ms. Dominique Mac Adams. Ms. Tomé underscored that the operation mainly consisted in ''the disarmament and voluntary reintegration of 15,000 combatants, including 6,000 children''. In this regard, five transit sites were identified in consultation with the armed groups, to accommodate the ex-combatants: Mahagi for the 'Forces Armées Populaires du Congo (FAPC)', and the 'Forces Populaires pour la Démocratie au Congo (FPDC)', Nizi for the 'Union des Patriotes Congolais (UPC)', Kwandroma for the 'Forces Nationalistes et Intégrationnistes (FNI)', Kaseni for the 'Parti pour l'Unité et la Sauvegarde de l'Intégrité du Congo (PUSIC)' and Aveba for the 'Forces de Résistance Patriotiques de l'Ituri (FRPI)'.
Ms. Tome highlighted that the DRC objective is to return the ex-combatants to civilian life and to identify the candidates who wish to be part of the integrated army. The candidates for voluntary disarmament will have to hand over their weapons, ammunitions and uniforms to a government representative, register and get an ID card as ex-combatant to enable him to receive the various benefits, before returning to the community of their choice. They will be entitled to a 50-dollar transport allowance and a resettlement kit. Ms. Tomé further indicated that the operation started a year after MONUC Brigade arrived in Ituri and was operational under chapter 7. ''The programme known as the 'DRC' became possible after security and stabilisation have been restored to Ituri last year'', she added, noting that mistrust and sporadic clashes between armed groups continue. ''The DRC operation is crucial for the pacification of Ituri, just like the National Programme for Demobilisation, Disarmament and Reintegration put in place by the Government- will be crucial for a successful Transition''. Ms. Tomé also recalled that the international Community funded the 'DRC' programme.
Ms. Tome goes back over the investigation into the Gatumba massacre and highlighted the terms used by the United Nations Secretary-General in his report on the UN Operations in Burundi (ONUB) published last 26 August. As requested by the UN Security Council, preliminary investigations are ongoing. A second team of investigators is on the ground to consolidate the information collected by the first team of Human Rights MONUC/ONUB/HCDH dispatched to Gatumba from 16 to 20 August. She highlighted that the preliminary findings in the Secretary-General's report reflects the witness accounts gathered on the implication of the Maï-Maï as well as the ex-FAR and Interahamwe in the massacre which she said is not an official version of the facts. She made it clear that ''investigations are ongoing following the confusions created by some international medias that referred to the witnesses accounts contained in the UN Secretary-General's report as the definite finding of the investigations which resulted in new hostility towards MONUC in the Kivus''.
Moreover, Mr. Luc Henkinbrant, head of MONUC Human Rights Department, apprised the press of the of the trial of 22 soldiers charged with crimes against humanity and intentional manslaughter since last 26 August in Lubumbashi, following the Ankoro massacre perpetrated in North Katanga on November 2003. Mr. Henkinbrant recalled that the massacre took place during the fighting pitting the former 'Forces armées congolaises (FAC)' against the 'Forces d'autodéfense populaire Maï-Maï', in the wake of which were reported lootings, killing of several dozens civilians and torching of hundreds houses. The trial, which started on 19 April 2003, was then suspended for 16 months, the judges having requested an additional investigation, Mr. Henkinbrant explained. It resumed later on, on 26 August, at the Katanga Military Court, which is competent to judge the crimes against humanity in compliance with the Congolese military criminal code.
MONUC assists in the trial as an observer. Mr. Henkinbrant highlighted that it is a first of its kind. ''It is the first time a Congolese jurisdiction judges crimes against humanity. (') MONUC has high hopes that this will help to put an end to impunity. MONUC also hopes that this trial will abide by the international norms of justice, and will guarantee the rights for the defence and respect the rights of the victims'', he concluded.
The programme was launched simultaneously in Mahagi, Kwandroma and Kasenyi. An official ceremony took place in Bunia, the main town in the district of Ituri. It was attended by the DRC government officials, the District Commissioner, Ms. Pétronille Vaweka, the head of CONADER, Mr. Daniel Kawata, and the Director of MONUC office in Ituri, Ms. Dominique Mac Adams. Ms. Tomé underscored that the operation mainly consisted in ''the disarmament and voluntary reintegration of 15,000 combatants, including 6,000 children''. In this regard, five transit sites were identified in consultation with the armed groups, to accommodate the ex-combatants: Mahagi for the 'Forces Armées Populaires du Congo (FAPC)', and the 'Forces Populaires pour la Démocratie au Congo (FPDC)', Nizi for the 'Union des Patriotes Congolais (UPC)', Kwandroma for the 'Forces Nationalistes et Intégrationnistes (FNI)', Kaseni for the 'Parti pour l'Unité et la Sauvegarde de l'Intégrité du Congo (PUSIC)' and Aveba for the 'Forces de Résistance Patriotiques de l'Ituri (FRPI)'.
Ms. Tome highlighted that the DRC objective is to return the ex-combatants to civilian life and to identify the candidates who wish to be part of the integrated army. The candidates for voluntary disarmament will have to hand over their weapons, ammunitions and uniforms to a government representative, register and get an ID card as ex-combatant to enable him to receive the various benefits, before returning to the community of their choice. They will be entitled to a 50-dollar transport allowance and a resettlement kit. Ms. Tomé further indicated that the operation started a year after MONUC Brigade arrived in Ituri and was operational under chapter 7. ''The programme known as the 'DRC' became possible after security and stabilisation have been restored to Ituri last year'', she added, noting that mistrust and sporadic clashes between armed groups continue. ''The DRC operation is crucial for the pacification of Ituri, just like the National Programme for Demobilisation, Disarmament and Reintegration put in place by the Government- will be crucial for a successful Transition''. Ms. Tomé also recalled that the international Community funded the 'DRC' programme.
Ms. Tome goes back over the investigation into the Gatumba massacre and highlighted the terms used by the United Nations Secretary-General in his report on the UN Operations in Burundi (ONUB) published last 26 August. As requested by the UN Security Council, preliminary investigations are ongoing. A second team of investigators is on the ground to consolidate the information collected by the first team of Human Rights MONUC/ONUB/HCDH dispatched to Gatumba from 16 to 20 August. She highlighted that the preliminary findings in the Secretary-General's report reflects the witness accounts gathered on the implication of the Maï-Maï as well as the ex-FAR and Interahamwe in the massacre which she said is not an official version of the facts. She made it clear that ''investigations are ongoing following the confusions created by some international medias that referred to the witnesses accounts contained in the UN Secretary-General's report as the definite finding of the investigations which resulted in new hostility towards MONUC in the Kivus''.
Moreover, Mr. Luc Henkinbrant, head of MONUC Human Rights Department, apprised the press of the of the trial of 22 soldiers charged with crimes against humanity and intentional manslaughter since last 26 August in Lubumbashi, following the Ankoro massacre perpetrated in North Katanga on November 2003. Mr. Henkinbrant recalled that the massacre took place during the fighting pitting the former 'Forces armées congolaises (FAC)' against the 'Forces d'autodéfense populaire Maï-Maï', in the wake of which were reported lootings, killing of several dozens civilians and torching of hundreds houses. The trial, which started on 19 April 2003, was then suspended for 16 months, the judges having requested an additional investigation, Mr. Henkinbrant explained. It resumed later on, on 26 August, at the Katanga Military Court, which is competent to judge the crimes against humanity in compliance with the Congolese military criminal code.
MONUC assists in the trial as an observer. Mr. Henkinbrant highlighted that it is a first of its kind. ''It is the first time a Congolese jurisdiction judges crimes against humanity. (') MONUC has high hopes that this will help to put an end to impunity. MONUC also hopes that this trial will abide by the international norms of justice, and will guarantee the rights for the defence and respect the rights of the victims'', he concluded.
