ARU SETS A NEW LANDMARK FOR PEACE WITH THE LAUNCH OF THE CCPAP UNDER THE P DDRCS
Aru, Ituri Province – November 2025 On 6 November 2025, the territory of Aru witnessed a historic milestone with the official inauguration of the Framework for Consultation on Peace and Support to the P DDRCS (CCPAP). This event concluded a two day workshop designed to deepen local understanding of the National Strategy of the Programme for Disarmament, Demobilization, Community Recovery and Stabilization (P DDRCS) and to strengthen the capacities of its members. Bringing together 58 participants—including 11 women—the gathering underscored the Congolese State’s commitment to embedding the peace process locally.
The day featured a review of the first day’s work by Giovanni Lileko Nguwa, Head of Studies and Documentation at the Aru P DDRCS office, followed by a detailed training session led by Nestor Balombo and Fidèle Dramani. Participants learned about the structure and functioning of the CCPAP, the role of each of the five commissions—Conflict Resolution & Social Cohesion; Security & Restoration of State Authority; Community Recovery & Reintegration; Stabilization & Development; and Communication & Outreach—and the responsibilities of each member. An election followed, resulting in 28 members across the five commissions, including eight women, who were formally accredited during the installation ceremony. The installation was presided over by Nestor Balombo TSHEZA, representing the Acting Provincial Coordinator of the P DDRCS in Ituri, with a closing address by the Territorial Police Administrator emphasizing the institutional backing and national significance of the initiative.
In his address, Mr. Balombo TSHEZA described the occasion as a “historic ceremony for Aru,” reflecting the vision of the President of the Republic and the legal foundation laid by Presidential Order No. 21/038. He highlighted the strategic role of the territory—long a commercial gateway yet hindered by insecurity—in becoming a focal point for coordinated action in peace, reintegration, and stabilization. The CCPAP was described as the operational architecture of the P DDRCS on the ground—designed to gather all peace actors, strengthen accountability, eliminate duplication of resources, and unify approaches for greater effectiveness.
Closing remarks by Dr. Feni Drudra acknowledged how the P DDRCS had evolved beyond a purely disarmament programme to become a platform for societal restoration and local empowerment. The Police Administrator of Aru, Colonel Richard BAMBI reaffirmed that the P DDRCS is now the legitimate national framework within the territory, charged with ensuring complementary interventions, inclusive dialogue, and community led solutions. He emphasized the need for integrity, creativity and sustained support from all stakeholders for the CCPAP to succeed.
While challenges remain—such as the under representation of women and the urgent need to operationalize the framework—the launch of the CCPAP marks a turning point. For Aru, this is more than an administrative milestone: it is the cementing of community ownership, state sovereignty in stabilization efforts, and the alignment of local peacebuilding activities with national strategy. The P DDRCS, by pushing governance of proximity and involving communities at the heart of action, asserts that peace is not simply decreed—it is built, rooted and shared.
Cellule de Communication du P-DDRCS
