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DR of Congo and Rwanda agree to deploy teams to troubled border towns - UN

DR of Congo and Rwanda agree to deploy teams to troubled border towns - UN

The Governments of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and neighbouring Rwanda have agreed to deploy permanent teams later this month in two troubled border towns to monitor the situation there, a United Nations spokesman said today.

The decision was made Tuesday in the Rwandan capital Kigali at the first meeting of the Joint Verification Commission (JVC), a body set up last month to tackle border security issues and improve bilateral relations.

UN spokesman Fred Eckhard said the two States agreed to send teams comprising military experts from each country to the towns of Goma and Bukavu in eastern DRC. The teams, which will be led by UN military officers, will undertake investigations on the ground and monitor developments.

Clashes have taken place frequently in or around Goma and Bukavu over the past decade, with many people also moving back and forth across the border between the DRC and Rwanda to escape violence.

The JVC will hold its next meeting in the Congolese capital Kinshasa in December. The UN Organization Mission in the DRC (MONUC) serves as the secretariat.