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UN peacekeeping chief visits Goma amid Ebola and security concerns in eastern DRC
Summary
The head of the UN peacekeeping mission in the DRC visited Goma, met with M23 representatives and commanders, and the mission deployed a mobile base to support Ebola response; the UN also reported a June 8 abduction of a health worker forced to perform a postmortem without protective gear.
The United Nations reported that the head of its peacekeeping mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, James Swan, concluded a visit to Goma where he met representatives of the Alliance Fleuve Congo/M23 and commanders of the joint verification mechanism to review security, political and humanitarian concerns, including the Ebola response.
The staff member said the mission emphasized coherence among regional and international efforts — citing processes in Washington, Doha and with the African Union — and reiterated MINUSCA's readiness within mandate to support implementation measures of peace processes.
As part of operational measures, the mission deployed a mobile military base in Mongbualu (Djugu territory) on June 4 to bolster protection of humanitarian workers, medical teams and health facilities. The briefing also reported a June 8 incident in which a health worker was taken by an armed group and forced to perform a postmortem without protective equipment, an event the staff member said highlights risks to frontline workers and the need for unimpeded humanitarian access.
The UN called on all parties to respect international humanitarian law and to ensure safe access for medical and humanitarian teams so that surveillance, contact tracing, lab sample transport and medical referrals can continue without interruption.
