Goma residents doubt MONUSCO visit will halt fighting Goma, DR Congo — The acting head of the United Nations peacekeeping mission arrived in Goma on Thursday as residents told local sources they expect no change in the year-old conflict between government forces and AFC/M23 rebels. Vivian van de Perre, officer-in-charge of MONUSCO, is in the North Kivu capital to back a proposed durable ceasefire, yet street interviews indicate public confidence in the mission is low. “There have been so many ceasefires announced over a long period, yet they do nothing at all,” resident David Chimuda said describing the UN presence as “a distraction.
” Pascal Bahati, another inhabitant, recalled two decades of uninterrupted violence. “Twenty years ago there was war, and today the war is still here and people are dying. There is really no difference, MONUSCO does nothing at all,” he told local media.
A United States — brokered agreement between Kinshasa and Kigali and parallel talks with the rebels have not stopped clashes around the city.
The UN refugee agency counts more than seven million people displaced nationwide, making the crisis one of the world’s worst. Official statements indicate MONUSCO will continue logistical and technical support to regional ceasefire efforts, but residents say previous pledges have not improved security.
Further details on the envoy’s schedule were not immediately available.
