Democratic

Special Representative on Sexual Violence in Conflict Margot Wallström

Senior UN official in DR Congo to investigate mass rape of civilians

28 September 2010
A leading United Nations official in the fight against sexual violence during conflict began a week-long visit to Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) today to coordinate a response to the mass rape by rebels of more than 300 civilians two months ago in the country’s east.
Congolese refugees at Mwange Refugee Camp in Zambia

UN-backed repatriation of Congolese from Zambia passes milestone

25 September 2010
The United Nations refugee agency is preparing to close two refugee camps in Zambia as the number of Congolese who have successfully returned home in a UN-backed programme over the past three years tops 40,000.
Poster in Goma, eastern DRC, warning of the penalties for rape

Preliminary UN report confirms over 300 rapes by rebels in eastern DR Congo

24 September 2010
A United Nations human rights team today confirmed that at least 303 civilians were raped over a period of four days in late July and early August in the volatile far east of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), warning that the total number of victims may be even higher.
MONUSCO peacekeepers on patrol in the DRC

DR Congo: UN steps up border patrols after reported rebel arms trafficking to Uganda

23 September 2010
United Nations peacekeepers are patrolling the border between the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Uganda after reports of arms trafficking by the rebel Ugandan Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) across DRC and southern Sudan.
Joseph Kabila, President of the Democratic Republic of the Congo

Congolese leader calls for UN reform, including Security Council enlargement

23 September 2010
President Joseph Kabila of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) today called for United Nations reform to enlarge the 15-member Security Council and strengthen the authority of the 192-member General Assembly.
United Nations Secretary-General’s Special Representative (SRSG) in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Roger Meece

DR Congo: UN mission chief concerned over violence in troubled North Kivu

22 September 2010
The head of the United Nations peacekeeping mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) today voiced deep concern over continuing violence in the eastern province of North Kivu, where the Government is investigating a series of recent killings.
DRC refugees living close to the border between the Republic of Congo and the CAR

UN and DR Congo distribute identity cards to refugees to improve their rights

21 September 2010
The United Nations refugee agency and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) have launched a vast distribution of identity cards to the estimated 173,000 refugees in the country aimed at strengthening the rights of this vulnerable group.
Prison conditions throughout the DRC are well below international standards

DR Congo: UN to build safe detention facilities for women pending trial

17 September 2010
United Nations peacekeepers in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) are building detention facilities in the country’s troubled east to ensure that female detainees are safely and securely housed while they await trial.

UN measures to protect civilians in eastern DR Congo bearing fruit

15 September 2010
The United Nations mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) today reported that an operation designed to enhance the protection of civilians in the eastern areas of the country has resulted in the arrests of some suspected human rights abusers and a return of many internally displaced persons (IDPs) to their homes.
Didace Namujimbo, journalist with radio Okapi

UN-backed radio station in DR Congo recognized for courageous reporting

9 September 2010
The United Nations-sponsored radio station based in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), which has the largest Francophone audience in sub-Saharan Africa, is the winner of this year’s Free Media Pioneer award bestowed by the International Press Institute (IPI), it was announced today.