Anjali Sharma
GG News Bureau
UNITED NATIONS, 18th Jan. According to the UN Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric on Wednesday in a regular briefing told reporters in New York that the peacekeepers have been responding to renewed violence against civilians in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, deployed patrols and helping local leaders free five people abducted by militia in Ituri province.
He said ‘blue helmets’ serving with the UN mission MONUSCO had responded to “alerts and information received over the past few days” and deployed a patrol close to Djugu territory to protect civilians.
Peacekeepers supported local leaders who negotiated the release of five people abducted by CODECO militia, a loose association of political and religious rebel groups.
Mr. Dujarric said “The Mission has also intervened in response to an attack against a position for the Congolese armed forces (FARDC) in Tcha”.
“Peacekeepers are also continuing to protect civilians who sought refuge close to a MONUSCO temporary base in the Drodo area in Ituri.”
He added that peacekeepers had been deployed last week in response to clashes between CODECO and Zaire militia “the situation is now reported calm.”
MONUSCO is to withdraw completely from DRC by the end of 2024 but the UN is determined to stay and provide support to Congolese in need in the long-term, after the mission’s withdrawal, he concluded.
