The precarious living conditions of former militiamen have once again come under the spotlight in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Members of the various local armed groups, 193 in number, have gone since March to Kasoko camp, in the Babila Babombi chiefdom, without being supported by the Congolese government through the disarmament, demobilization, community recovery program. and stabilization (P-DDRCS).
According to the coordinator of the new Congolese civil society (NSCC) territorial branch of Mambasa, John Vuleveryo Musombolwa, who alerted POLITICO.CD on the situation, more than 900 other combatants would be ready to join this camp. However, the population pays the price for their abandonment through the hassles set up by the militiamen.
“Suddenly, what we are witnessing in the village of Biakato and its surroundings, there are harassments imposed on the population. It is not up to them to contribute every day for the survival of these combatants who have already surrendered,” he said.
The NSCC thus calls for the establishment of another disarmament site in this territory filled with militias. Since the launch of P-DDRCS in Ituri, at least a hundred elements of the militias, mainly from the patriotic integrationist force of Congo (FPIC) and the cooperative for the development of Congo (CODECO), have already gone to pilot site of Diango, located in the territory of Irumu.
The precariousness of the living conditions of former militiamen is a hot topic in the DRC. However, the unstable political situation, the tensions between the different parties and the floods continue to monopolize most of the headlines of the Congolese press.