UN peacekeepers free 5 abducted civilians in Congo

GOMA, DR Congo

United Nations peacekeepers in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) have helped rescue five abducted civilians, a UN spokesman said on Tuesday.

The UN peacekeeping mission known as Monusco intervened to help release five civilians, including a woman and two minors, following their abduction by an armed group close to Djugu in the eastern province of Ituri, said Stephane Dujarric, chief spokesman for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.

Following their release, Monusco provided temporary shelter and medical assistance before they were transported by the mission back to their homes, said the spokesman.

Also, in Ituri, peacekeepers deployed to a mining site northeast of Bunia to protect civilians in response to an attack by Codeco armed groups. Four civilians were killed in the attack and the mission is monitoring the situation, he said.

The security situation in neighboring North Kivu province continues to deteriorate with heavy firing resuming between the M23 armed group and the Congolese armed forces just outside the town of Sake, said the spokesman.

In response, peacekeepers have established a presence in the area, while the Congolese army reinforced troops to deter any further attacks from the M23.

Volker Turk, the UN high commissioner for human rights, is currently in the DRC on an official visit at the invitation of the government, Dujarric said.

Turk traveled to the eastern part of the country where he visited camps for internally displaced people and met with human rights defenders and civil society organisations.

The spokesman said that when the high commissioner is in the capital of Kinshasa, he is expected to meet with President Felix Tshisekedi, senior government officials and UN colleagues.