Ituri: 90% of Lopa residents return to their villages thanks to the presence of the FARDC and MONUSCO

Around 90% of the inhabitants of the Lopa group, in the Djugu territory (Ituri), have returned to their villages after several months of displacement caused by armed violence, local dignitaries said on Thursday 9 October. This mass return is attributed to the joint presence of the Armed Forces of the DRC (FARDC) and MONUSCO peacekeepers, whose regular patrols have enabled the gradual resumption of agricultural and school activities.

Local authorities are now calling for the establishment of a permanent MONUSCO base to consolidate this still fragile peace, while the head of the UN office in Ituri, Josaya Obat, is calling for greater dialogue and peaceful coexistence to ensure lasting stability.