ReliefWeb

Tinshasa, 22 April 2013- The situation in central Katanga has been unstable since the escape from prison of the Mayi-Mayi commander known as Gédéon Mtanga in September 2011. Since then, he has remobilised fighters and recruited child soldiers who have led attacks against villages located between the territories of Manono, Pweto and Mitwaba- the “triangle of death”. While Gedeon and his fighters along with the newly created Mayi-Mayi Kata-Katanga -who claim to be fighting for the independence of Katanga (their name means “to cut off Katanga”) are the main drivers of the instability, the national army has also been implicated in a large number of violations against civilians. Produced by the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs and the Protection Cluster in DRC, the report examines the challenges of protection civilians in the mineral-rich province. A number of recommendations are formulated to the attention of the Government, the UN Stabilisation Mission (MONUSCO), the donor community, and humanitarian actors.