In the Mabalako region, in North Kivu, a road rehabilitation initiative was launched, involving twenty-four ex-combatants from different armed groups. This project, financed by Monusco to the tune of 2 million, aims to rehabilitate the Mababwanga-Mbumbi and Kabasha axes, thus facilitating the evacuation of agricultural products to the commercial centers of the towns of Beni and Butembo.
In addition to the reintegration of ex-militiamen, the government has planned the involvement of 45 other vulnerable people in the project in order to promote rapid reintegration into the community. Maître Omar Kavota, head of the program for disarming armed groups in greater North Kivu, underlines the importance of this work to enable ex-combatants to reintegrate and survive once demobilized.
The launch of this project, which took place at the beginning of March in Kyanzaba, has already attracted the support of certain ex-combatants. Kakule Isaac, one of them, encourages his former colleagues to leave the bush and join this initiative which offers them an opportunity for social reintegration.
MONUSCO, which supports this project, sees this approach as an opportunity to contribute to peace in the Beni region. Josiah Obat, head of the MONUSCO office in Beni, underlines the importance of offering alternative perspectives to young people in order to distance them from armed groups and promote stability.
Since last December, 406 ex-combatants have been involved in reintegration projects in Beni and Lubero, areas marked by the presence of several armed groups. This road rehabilitation initiative in Mabalako shows that concrete solutions can be put in place to promote the reintegration of former combatants into the community and contribute to the construction of a peaceful future for all.