DR Congo: UN mission deploys ‘blue helmets’ to protect civilians and refugees
28 September 2017 – Responding to the worsening security situation near a major town in eastern Democratic Republic of
the Congo (DRC), the United Nations mission in the country has deployed peacekeepers to deter any attacks on the city
and to prevent escalation in clashes.
According to the UN Organization Stabilization Mission in the DRC, known by its French acronym MONUSCO, clashes had
occurred in the area of Uvira, in South Kivu province, between presumed armed groups and the Congolese national army
(FARDC).
Noting that the response is guided by the Mission’s mandate, Maman Sidikou, the Special Representative of the
Secretary-General and Head of MONUSCO, said: “[We are] strongly committed to the protection of civilians, including
vulnerable groups such as refugees and displaced people.”
He called on the armed groups to immediately cease this hostility including all forms of violence against constituted
authority and innocent civilians.
“All perpetrators, in particular those who sponsor armed groups as well as those who bear command responsibility, will
be held accountable for human rights abuses,” he added.
Uvira is the second largest town in the South Kivu province of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.