HIGHLIGHTS
United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon announced on 10 June the appointment of Martin Kobler of Germany as his Special Representative for the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Head of the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO), succeeding former U.S. diplomat Roger Meece.
UNICEF Deputy Executive Director, Ms. Geeta Rao Gupta, conducted a mission in the DRC from 30 May to 1 June 2013. She participated in the launch of the Call to Action/A Promise Renewed to reduce child and maternal mortality and met with government officials to discuss the prospects of this renewed promise.
The Ministry of Education, with the help of UNICEF and Education Cluster members in North and South Kivu, enabled over 7,950 children from displaced, returnee, and host family communities complete the primary school exit exam, known as TENAFEP, on 6 June.
Clashes between M23 and FARDC on 20 May some 10 kilometres from Goma caused displacement of thousands to Buhimba and Mugunga I and III IDP sites as well as schools and churches in Goma. Internally displaced persons who settled in Sotraki transit site near Goma were relocated to Buhimba on 17 June. 5,237 IDPs had settled in Sotroki since 25 May, as a first experience of transit site in DRC. Significant population movements also occurred in Walikale (North Kivu), Maniema and South Kivu, see details below.
One-third of the expected troops of the Force Intervention Brigade from Tanzania and South Africa has deployed in eastern DRC and started patrols in North Kivu.
The group Mayi-Mayi Kata Katanga is extending its influence into new territories which is increasing population movements.
According to UNHCR as of 29 May 2013 there are now 36.158 Central African refugees in Equateur (20.587 in Gbadolite and 15.571 in Zongo), bringing the total number of Central African refugees in DRC to 42.663. There are 3 new refugee camps operational (Mole and Inke in Equateur and Mboti in Province Orientale) with an additional site being prepared in Boyabo ( Libenge territory). After a joint contingency planning exercise, the collaboration mechanisms between UNICEF and UNHCR in education, child protection and nutrition have been defined, and $8m in funding from CERF was obtained for multiple agencies, including 649.412$US for UNICEF, to provide education and nutritional assistance to 10.040 beneficiaries.
The government has declared a yellow fever epidemic based on outbreaks in three health zones in Kasaï Oriental province after laboratory confirmation of six cases. Since the start of the epidemic, 54 suspected cases have been reported with a mortality rate of 31.4% (17 deaths); vaccines have been received in country for a UNICEF-supported campaign to target over 500,000 people in the three affected health zones of Lubao, Kamana, and Ludimbi-Lukula. UNICEF and WHO also received a 4MUS$ CERF contribution to fight measles epidemics through measles follow up campaigns in Equateur, Province Orientale, North and South Kivu.