Refugees International: Reports: Visual Mission: Insecurity Hampers Access in Eastern Congo

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Visual Mission: Insecurity Hampers Access in Eastern Congo

Although MONUC (the UN peacekeeping mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo) has successfully disarmed almost 12,000 militia members in the Ituri region of Eastern Congo, attacks by hardliners who have resisted disarmament continue to reduce humanitarian access to three settlements of recently displaced people, Kafé, Tché, and Gina.

DRC 2005: Gun for MONUC Peacekeepers

Photo Credit: Refugees International/ Sarah Martin
04/26/2005
On February 26, nine Bangladeshi peacekeepers were killed in an attack by militias in Ituri. The MONUC (peacekeeping force) leadership aggressively responded and set a deadline for disarmament of all militias by April 1. This increased action by MONUC drove almost 10,000 militia into the DCR (Disarmament and Community Reintegration) camps scattered throughout Ituri. Hardliners from the UPC (Union of Congolese Patriots) have clashed with both the Army of Democratic Republic of Congo and peacekeepers with civilians caught in the middle. Hard line militias have put a bounty on the heads of UN staff.