MONUSCO initiates the creation of Local Protection Committees in Mahagi. Photo MONUSCO
In total, around 100 participants (including 30 women) from local authorities, community leaders, civil society, youth and women's associations have taken part since May 9 in a series of trainings organized by MONUSCO Bunia on security and protection of civilians in risk areas in the Mahagi Territory in Ituri.
These trainings should lead to the establishment of Local Protection Committees (LPCs) in the Nyoka, Rona and Ngote Groupings in the Panduru chiefdom as well as Pamitu-Ame in the Djukot chiefdom.
At the rate of 20 persons per session (according to the preventive measures against Covid-19), the participants are trained on the role of local authorities in the protection of civilians, tools and mechanisms for community protection and protection of civilians in high-risk areas. The first training took place in Ngote about 120 kilometers north of Bunia last Saturday. Three other trainings will be (or have already been) organized in Rona, Amee and Nioka.
These courses aim to promote the sharing of information between local authorities, members of Local Security Committees, Local Protection Committees, community leaders and youth and women's organizations on protection issues; another objective is to strengthen confidence and synergy in protection between the population, civil society, authorities and security services.
A third objective is to promote collaboration and synergy between the various actors of protection under the coordination of local authorities. Finally, these courses also aim at strengthening local ownership of civil protection mechanisms and tools.
"The themes developed during the workshop in Ngote will allow us to have good interaction between local authorities and non-state actors on the one hand, and to better coordinate responses to security alerts with hierarchy, security forces as well than Monusco on the other hand, to ensure better protection of civilians, ”said participants.
Once the Local Protection Committees (LPCs) are established, they will benefit from the support of MONUSCO Community Liaison Assistants and the Chief of Chiefdom of Pandoro in the development of their community protection plans.