STRENGTHENING COORDINATION FOR PEACE: IN BUTEMBO, P-DDRCS PROMOTES TRANSPARENCY AND ACCOUNTABILITY IN ARMS COLLECTION
Butembo, September 7, 2025 – In line with the National Strategy for Disarmament, Demobilization, Community Recovery, and Stabilization (DDRCS), a working session was held in Butembo, North Kivu, to disseminate the standardized arms collection report form. The session brought together representatives of the P-DDRCS/Lubero office and the Congolese Armed Forces (FARDC), led by Colonel Dieudonné Munyakazi, officer in charge of Control and Verification of Arms (CVA) operations, to strengthen coordination in ongoing disarmament efforts.
The primary objective of this session was to harmonize the use of the standardized official report form for documenting weapons voluntarily surrendered by ex-combatants. This tool—recommended by the national DDRCS strategy—aims to ensure full traceability, transparent handling, and secure storage of all collected weapons. It is a critical step toward safeguarding communities, reinforcing public trust, and preventing any illicit recirculation of arms.
Supervised by Mr. Joseph Ndayambaje Sukisa, Acting Provincial Coordinator of the P-DDRCS North Kivu, the session served as a platform to review current practices in Lubero territory, identify logistical and operational challenges, and strengthen synergy between military forces, local DDRCS field teams, and stakeholders. The message is clear: lasting peace depends on effective, transparent governance of the DDRCS process.
This approach is at the heart of the National DDRCS Strategy, which promotes inter-institutional coordination, local ownership, and adherence to technical standards to ensure the credibility and impact of field operations. By establishing a unified documentation system for arms collection, the P-DDRCS not only enhances community safety but also builds the confidence of ex-combatants in the integrity of the national reintegration process.
Beyond the security dimension, the session illustrated the importance of anchoring peacebuilding efforts at the local level, as outlined in the national strategy’s priority pillars: restoring state authority, strengthening social cohesion, and facilitating socio-economic reintegration. Participants concluded the meeting with a shared commitment to sustain this coordination momentum—fully aligned with the national vision for stability and recovery.
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