DR Congo: UN peacekeeping chief expresses solidarity with people of troubled Kasai region
| Publisher | UN News Service |
| Publication Date | 16 June 2017 |
| Cite as | UN News Service, DR Congo: UN peacekeeping chief expresses solidarity with people of troubled Kasai region, 16 June 2017, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/59479cbc4.html [accessed 20 May 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
As part of his five-day visit to the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), the top United Nations peacekeeping official visited the vast country's troubled Kasai region and expressed "deep concern" about the ongoing violence there.
According to a note issued in New York by a UN Spokesman, the Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations, Jean-Pierre Lacroix, expressed deep concern about persistent violence and serious human rights abuses in the Kasai.
He also stressed the importance of prosecuting all perpetrators of crimes and promised the full support of the United Nations so that the perpetrators of the murder of Michael Sharp and Zaida Catalán could be brought to justice.
On Wednesday, he travelled to Kananga, the capital of Kasai province, to express the UN's solidarity with the people of the region and discuss ongoing efforts to strengthen the local presence of the UN Organization Stabilization Mission, known as MONUSCO.
Today, he met with President Joseph Kabila, in the capital, Kinshasa. Throughout his visit, Mr. Lacroix reaffirmed the UN's commitment to support the full implementation of the 31 December Agreement and the efforts of MONUSCO to help create a peaceful environment conducive to the holding of free, fair and inclusive elections by the end of the year.
In Goma, Mr. Lacroix exchanged views with the Governor of North Kivu, Julien Paluku, on how the UN Mission can best help address security challenges and inter-communal tensions in the province.
