KINSHASA, 10 January (IRIN) - France
agreed on Thursday to give the UN Development Programme (UNDP) one million
euros (US $1.05 million) towards the disarmament and demobilisation process
in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).
French Ambassador Georges Serre and
UNDP Deputy Representative Kwafu Abrefa signed the grant agreement on Thursday
in the DRC capital, Kinshasa.
The UN Mission in the DRC, known as MONUC, is to implement the disarmament and demobilisation process, which includes the repatriation and reintegration of ex-fighters into society. MONUC Deputy Spokesman Mounoubayi Madnodje told IRIN that 200,000 euros would be immediately available to the mission for its demobilisation reception centre in Lubero, South Kivu Province, which opened in December 2002.
The UN estimates there are 13,000 foreign fighters in the country. "There are about 12,000 Rwandans, the Ugandans are not numerous and the rest are Burundians," Madnodje said.
The UN has already repatriated 750 Rwandan ex-fighters since the demobilisation process began. On Tuesday, South Africa, which is verifying the implementation of the DRC-Rwanda peace accord, repatriated 35 other Rwandans from villages close to the eastern DRC city of Bukavu, South Kivu.
[ENDS]
[This Item is Delivered to the "Africa-English" Service of the UN's IRIN humanitarian information unit, but may not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations. For further information, free subscriptions, or to change your keywords, contact e-mail: Irin@ocha.unon.org or Web: http://www.irinnews.org . If you re-print, copy, archive or re-post this item, please retain this credit and disclaimer. Reposting by commercial sites requires written IRIN permission.]
Copyright (c) UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs 2003