Dr Congo: UN Bolsters Security Measures in Volatile East
New York, Jun 25 2007 5:00PM
The United Nations peacekeeping operation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is taking measures to help the
authorities bolster security in the country’s troubled eastern provinces of North and South Kivu, a spokesperson for the
world body said today.
MONUC said UN peacekeepers, in cooperation with the Congolese Army, have conducted some 600 patrols in the two provinces in
recent weeks, including more than half that figure in the course of last week alone as part of efforts to restore
security and public safety.
“UN peacekeeping naval units have also stepped up patrols on Lake Kivu to stop illegal traffic of firearms between DRC
and neighbouring countries,” spokesperson Marie Okabe told reporters in New York.
The region has been the scene of insecurity caused by armed groups and continuing military operations. On 26 May, a
group of 10 to 12 militiamen attacked the villages of Nyabuluze and Muhungu in South Kivu province, killing 18
civilians, among them women and children, and wounding more than two dozen, according to MONUC, which condemned the
massacre œstrongly and unequivocally.
ENDS