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UN official in DRC urges militia group to end deadly fighting in the eastern region

UN official in DRC urges militia group to end deadly fighting in the eastern region

Secretary-General’s Deputy Special Representative for the DRC Ross Mountain
A senior United Nations official in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) called on one of the major militia forces engaging in deadly violence in the eastern region of the country to put down its arms and work towards a lasting peace.

The Secretary-General’s Deputy Special Representative for the DRC Ross Mountain made his remarks after visiting a camp in South Kivu province set up to help combatants of the Mai Mai militia join the process of Demobilization and Disarmament and Reintegration (DDR).

“The Mai Mai must understand that it is the moment to bring peace to the country and prosperity to their families,” said Mr. Mountain, adding that he was “pleasantly surprised” by the installations of the camp which can already accommodate up to 400 ex-fighters.

He was also encouraged by the work of the Amani programme in managing the DDR of Mai Mai groups in South Kivu.

The Amani programme was created to implement the January 2008 peace accord between the Government and rebels in the eastern Kivu provinces, apply the process of disengagement and affect the Nairobi communiqué, the November 2007 agreement under which the DRC and Rwanda have agreed to work together against threats to peace and stability in the region.

Meanwhile, on-going talks between the DRC Government and the mainly Tutsi rebel militia Congrès national pour la Défense du people (CNDP) in Nairobi are aimed at ending the ongoing conflict centred in the east of the country, which has uprooted an estimated 250,000 people since late August, on top of the 800,000 already displaced mostly in North Kivu province.

Other armed groups, including the Mai Mai, had been involved in the deadly violence – threatening a humanitarian crisis that could spiral out of control – some of which have been along ethnic lines.