ReliefWeb

The people of the Rutshuru area, in the north-eastern North Kivu province of the Democratic Republic of Congo, took the streets in protest against the wide insecurity after another ambush by gunmen against a civilian vehicle. According to Radio Okapi, the demonstrators blocked the road that takes from the Chegengero area to Bunagana, impeding daily activities in the zone.

In consultations between Julien Paluku, governor of North Kivu, and civil society representatives, they reiterated deep concern over the insecurity caused by rebel groups, in particular the Democratic Forces for the Liberation Rwanda (FDLR) and the ADF-Nalu, a group that originates in Uganda, in addition to regular soldiers of the Congolese armed forces (FARDC).

“The military operations against the armed groups have failed. The strategies need to be changed and mechanisms created to consent the FDLR, Congolese displaced and ADF-Nalu rebels and other Ugandan refugees to return to their respective nations. It is an absolute condition for the reconstruction of our nation”, stressed a statement of the North Kivu civil society, which calls on the international community, present for years with humanitarian agencies, a UN mission and multinationals, to assume its responsibilities.