Bunia, a city located in the province of Ituri, last Saturday hosted Jean-Pierre Lacroix, the United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations. During this visit, this important player in international relations met with Congolese officials to obtain a detailed account of the situation in the province in terms of security, displaced persons and the results of the dialogue process between local armed groups. He also passed through the territory of Djugu to visit a site for displaced people in this region where thousands of people are found fleeing the abuses of various militias.
During this tour, the Deputy Secretary General discussed the promotion of harmony and security in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo with Angolan President João Lourenço during his visit to Angola. More than one million six hundred thousand people have been displaced since the start of militia activity in this region. Héritier Asimwe, the secretary of the Roe site, hopes for support from the UN to help these thousands of people living in deplorable humanitarian conditions to return to their respective villages.
Ituri province is particularly vulnerable to attacks by local armed groups due to its border with Uganda and the Central African Republic. This visit by the United Nations Under-Secretary-General is therefore a positive sign for the local population and may help to improve their living conditions by reducing armed violence and helping the displaced find a stable and safe home.