The terms of reference for a provincial transition team to facilitate the departure of MONUSCO were validated on Wednesday June 14 in Bunia, Ituri province.

The workshop was organized by the provincial government under the facilitation of the UN Mission.

A number of key figures took part, including the commander of the 32nd military region, members of the provincial security council and staff from the United Nations system.

The aim of the workshop was to set up a team to reflect on the implementation of five of the eighteen milestones adopted by the government and MONUSCO, with a view to facilitating the responsible departure of the UN Mission from the DRC and Ituri in particular.

This is a very important step marking the beginning of the process of MONUSCO’s gradual and responsible departure from the DRC, which Ituri has just completed”, declared the head of MONUSCO’s Ituri office, Marck Karna Soro.

In this province, the UN mission has lost around twenty soldiers since the deployment of its troops, revealed Marck Karna Soro.

“Ituri is also the area where MONUSCO has lost the most peacekeepers. The population of Ituri remembers this. The idea here is to launch focus groups to ensure a responsible departure for MONUSCO,” he said.

The vice-governor of Ituri, General Raus Tchalwe, invited all the stakeholders involved in this process to work assiduously to consolidate peace and sustainable development.

For some members of this provincial transition team, the primary responsibility for re-establishing peace in Ituri lies with the sons and daughters of Ituri, who must talk to each other and resolve their differences.