Africa

DRC authorities order the military to clear the mines from Upper Katanga

DRC authorities order the military to clear the mines from Upper Katanga

Aug. 19 (EUROPA PRESS) –

The authorities of the Democratic Republic of the Congo have ordered the Police and the security forces that guard the artisanal mining quarries in the Upper Katanga province, located in the south of the country, to clear the mines within 48 hours.

The decision was made this Thursday by the Deputy Minister of the Interior, Security and Customary Affairs, Jean-Paul Molipo, given the tensions in the area due to the death of a taxi driver in the center of the town of Lubumbashi, according to the Radio France station. International.

On the other hand, the military governor of North Kivu, General Constant Ndima, stated at a press conference that sanctions are not ruled out against the people who attacked the Congolese prison in Kakwangura and caused the escape of more than 800 prisoners.

“The FDA, by carrying out the attack on the Kakwangura prison in Butembo, had the objective of strengthening its workforce. It may be true that attacking a prison is their way of recruiting,” he stressed, according to the portal on Friday. of news Actualité.

The Congolese Army, which had initially attributed the attack to Mai Mai militiamen, corrected itself and pointed out that the attack was organized and carried out by fighters from the Allied Democratic Forces (FDA) militias.

The attack was carried out by a crew of more than 80 armed men who managed to break down the main gate of the prison and evacuate the prisoners in 15 minutes, including 12 female members of the AFD.

In the context of insecurity in the country, the United Nations Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO) is reorganizing its forces from Butembo to other points, particularly Beni, in the northwest.

The clarification came after General Constant Ndima stated at a press conference that MONUSCO was withdrawing from Butembo, while calling on the population to remain calm in the context of the protests against the presence of ‘blue helmets’. in the country.

Goma has been the epicenter of the protests against MONUSCO that have been taking place since July 25 and have resulted in the death of 36 people, including four members of the UN mission, according to the latest balance provided by the authorities of the african country.

In this context, the president of the DRC, Félix Tshisekedi, called on the government to reassess the MONUSCO withdrawal plan, after the secretary general of the international organization, António Guterres, was “outraged” by the shooting deaths of two people by ‘blue helmets’ in the town of Kasindi, on the border with Uganda.

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