The initiative of the United Nations Organization Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (MONUSCO) aims to allow the Congolese military to “settle permanently” in the Kididwe locality which was captured from the rebel Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) in 2019.
“Avoiding a possible return of the rebels” is MONUSCO’s goal.
In a statement seen by APA on Wednesday, the UN mission said Kididiwe, located east of the town of Beni (North Kivu), is “the scene of operations conducted for several weeks now by the Congolese army supported by peacekeepers.”
The new camp “is part of our strategy to fight against armed groups, which consists of relocating them. And once they are relocated, we create the conditions for the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of Congo (FARDC) to take control of the area and dominate it,” explained Abdourahamane Ganda, the head of MONUSCO’s interim office in Beni.
As part of this strategy, Ganda said, five camps like Kididiwe will be built and handed over to the Congolese army.
General Bertin Mputela, commander of Sokola 1 operations, expressed his satisfaction with this “large site” to accommodate Congolese soldiers.
The Kididiwe camp will house several hundred Congolese government troops engaged in fighting armed groups in Beni, Monusco said.
ID/lb/as/APA