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Hope for peace05 September 2003 On 01 Sep 2003, the UN peacekeeping mission to the DRC (MONUC) took over security duties from the multinational force which was deployed earlier in June. MONUC has been strengthened by a mandate enabling the use of force, in order to disarm combatants and secure the region. The 2,500-strong force includes representatives from Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, Nepal, Pakistan and Uruguay. Representatives of the Transitional Government and MONUC met last week with members of various rebel groups from Ituri. An understanding was reached in which the groups agreed to cooperate with the transitional government and to bring an end to hostilities and the massacre of innocent civilians. "We now have real hope that the situation in the East may become stabilized in the coming months, opening the humanitarian space and paving the way for numerous NGO interventions," said Dr. Shaun Skelton, Head of Mission for UMCOR DRC. He welcomes the impact that the peacekeeping forces have already had in Bunia region. Violence in the area has reduced, though it has not yet been eliminated. UMCOR DRC is currently implementing several programs including food security programs and a scholarship program for underprivileged Congolese girls. |
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