The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) during the 64th meeting of the Council of Ministers authorized the extension of the state of siege in Ituri and North Kivu Province in the eastern part of the nation. The extension will take effect as of 19th August and has been in place since May 2021.
The two-week extension comes as demonstrations were organized in the province of North Kivu to demand the departure of MONUSCO from Congolese territory. They accuse the UN peacekeepers of being ineffective in the face of massacres against civilians. Several deaths have been reported during these demonstrations. There are also serious injuries.
While the government maintains that the siege is meant to protect the civilians and allow for security operations against the rebel groups; human rights organizations have pointed out that it has been used to limit freedoms and exploit innocent civilians.
Despite the siege being in place, the security situation in North Kivu and Ituri has not visibly improved and if anything, the rebel groups appear to have stepped up attacks. Analysts are skeptical that the two weeks extension will make any difference to the already volatile situation seeing as the terrorists and other rebel groups have been audaciously attacking civilians, and security forces and even freeing prisoners.
