The head of UN peacekeeping has asked the UN Security Council for more than three thousand (3,000) extra troops to protect civilians in the eastern DR Congo.
Alain Le Roy said current peacekeeper numbers were not enough to protect civilians from violence perpetrated by rebel groups and the Congolese army.
There are nine thousand (9,000) UN peacekeepers in the region, out of seventeen thousand (17,000) nationwide.
The latest crisis began in August when rebels advanced towards Goma, which is now ringed with refugee camps.
However, The UN Security Council has not yet approved on the appeal to deploying more troops in Congo and diplomatic sources confirmed an ongoing controversy among council members over the issue.