FDLR has weakened - UN envoy

KIGALI - The Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR) a terrorist group based in the Eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, has weakened, Roger Meece, the UN Secretary-General’s Special Representative for the DRC, has said. He made the announcement while addressing the UN Security Council on Monday “It is certainly premature to assert that the FDLR is collapsing, but the group’s capacity is diminishing and is under strain,” Meece revealed. “In fact, for the first time in my experience in the region, I believe the outline can be seen of an eventual resolution of this long-standing threat to the population. We are not at the point of success, but there is clear progress.” Meece heads the UN Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO), a peacekeeping mission. He said the greatest difficulties were presented by foreign and domestic armed groups in eastern DRC.These, he said, “continued to act as predatory forces, often incorporating the use of rape and other violence as a weapon against civilians”. During the last half of January, 50 to 80 cases of sexual violence perpetrated by the FDLR were reported.In a press statement following Meece’s briefing, members of the Security Council encouraged further progress in the effective disarmament, demobilization and reintegration, and repatriation, resettlement and reintegration processes, in particular, the FDLR. The FDLR is composed mainly of remnants of the former Rwandan army (ex-FAR) and Interahamwe militia responsible for the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi. Ends

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FDLR has weakened - UN envoy