Pope Francis appeals for peace in the Democratic Republic of Congo

by Congo | Dec 27, 2016 | Congo Today

Question 5

Venant Vudisa / RTNC: Mr. Felix Basse, it is curious anyway. If it’s not Beni, it’s Butembo. If it is not Butembo, Beni is the scene of the clashes. However, it is in this region that the security of both the United Nations and our Congolese Armed Forces is heavily reinforced. So what would be the basis of this kind of situation?

So it seems to me that there is a discovery of a cache of weapons in the farm belonging to the former General Laurent Nkunda Batware. What is it? Is there any information on that?

MONUSCO [Félix Prosper Basse] spokesperson: Yes, I will start with the second part of your question concerning the discovery of weapons cache in the residence of former General Laurent Nkunda. I must confess humbly that this is the first time I hear this information.

Now, you asked a question that is fundamental: how with the strengthening or rather significant presence of the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, but also the MONUSCO peacekeepers deployed in that area, How is it that these attacks continue, or are they being observed all the time?

You know, I’m going to tell you that security is everyone’s business. It’s not just the FARDC affair, let alone the MONUSCO affair. World: the affair of

Journalists that you are, the affair of the populations, because it must not be forgotten that within all this dynamics, or at least of all this war that we observe in the east, there are also Internal complicities. That is why we have always appealed to the people so that they can support us, because without them nothing can be done. That’s the first thing.

The second thing is the asymmetrical nature of this war. Because these are not classically organized forces that would fight on the ground. Because we saw this classic organization with the M23, and that’s why the defeat of the M23 was much faster, much easier to achieve. Today, it is a few elements organized in small groups that circulate in the forest of the territory of Beni-Butembo.

Because I always repeat it here. And again, I pay tribute again to all the Congolese soldiers who lost their lives, precisely to secure this part of the Congolese territory, by exploding the ADF rebel group that we know, which is the most harmful in this region – the; And capturing all the camps, or at least the bases that were fundamental to the ADF fighters. [These soldiers of the] FARDC, they succeeded with the support of MONUSCO, to regain them.

Now it is the small groups of two, three, four or five broken elements that are in nature. Tracking is not easy given the terrain, given the vegetation, given the difficulties in acquiring information from the civilian populations, so that we can act in real time.

Many mechanisms, many initiatives have been implemented, have in any case been taken by the Congolese authorities, notably by splitting this operational area which was quite large, cutting it in two on a demarcation line that goes from Mbau In Kamango, but also by appointing two operational commandments that are distinct so that people can define an area within which tracking can be done much more efficiently. And that’s what everybody is doing every day, it’s not easy. Much has been done, much remains to be done.

But this can only be done effectively and with the help of everyone, the contribution of the Congolese people, but also the contribution of journalists, the media, community radio stations that must continue Raising awareness among the populations so that together we can defeat the ADF and any other armed group that is trying the territory of Beni.

Congo
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