P-DDRCS STRENGTHENS NATIONAL COORDINATION AUTHORITY IN MAI-NDOMBE AND GRAND BANDUNDU
Kinshasa, 29 April 2025 – Professor Jean de Dieu Désiré NTANGA NTITA, PhD, National Coordinator of the Disarmament, Demobilization, Community Recovery and Stabilization Program (P-DDRCS), took part in a high-level meeting of the Mai-Ndombe Task Force at the invitation of Mr. Bruno Lemarquis, United Nations Resident Coordinator in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), alongside several technical and financial partners. The meeting was held at MONUSCO headquarters in Kinshasa.
This renewed engagement takes place within the framework of the reactivation of the Humanitarian–Development–Peace (HDP) Nexus ad hoc coordination mechanism. The objective is to ensure a coherent, inclusive, and nationally owned response to the complex and persistent security and community challenges affecting the Mai-Ndombe region and the wider Grand Bandundu area.
In accordance with Article 3 of Presidential Ordinance No. 21/038 of 4 July 2021, Professor Ntanga Ntita reaffirmed that P-DDRCS remains the sole national coordinating authority for all DDRCS-related activities across the Congolese territory. He stressed the critical need for enhanced alignment of partner interventions with national priorities, as articulated in the National Strategic Plan.
“Peacebuilding must be rooted in sovereign coordination, community participation, and complementarity of mandates,” he stated, advocating for a strategic partnership grounded in transparency, community ownership, and the recognition of state authority.
Mr. Lemarquis, speaking on behalf of the United Nations System, welcomed this reaffirmation of national leadership and reiterated the UN’s full commitment to supporting P-DDRCS priorities. This includes technical support for coordination, joint resource mobilization, and the implementation of sustainable peace initiatives—particularly the dissemination of the Teke-Yaka Accord of 26 September 2024 and the response to violence linked to the Mobondo phenomenon.
This strategic partnership underscores the critical role of coordination and mutual accountability as pillars of an effective, sustainable, and people-centered response to conflict and fragility in the DRC.
P-DDRCS Communication Cell
