12 September 2009
The government of the Democratic Republic of Congo has said it will settle and re-integrate Internally Displaced People (IDP) into society after the United Nations closes camps in the restive Kivu provinces of that country.
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Government spokesman Lambert Mende is quoted as saying that his government has budgeted for financial and logistical support for the returning displaced Congolese.

He said the government has accepted the move of Non Governmental Organisations and international agencies to close these camps because people are going back home and the numbers of those remaining were low.

He said the presence of remnants of armed groups in the area of Kinshasa will provide adequate security for the returnees.

"The government is well aware of the location of those remnants elements they are not all over the provinces… there are a lot of other places that are secured by the army (and) police," he said.

He however, refuted reports that the displaced returnees were forced out of the camps, saying that they came by their own volition and are going home by their own will.

He added that there is need for the displaced persons to return to the life they know.

It should be noted that the United Nations High Commission for Refugees announced that it will be closing IDP camps after a sharp drop of violence in Kivu.

But political pundits express worry that the government is ill-prepared to provide adequate security because of the presence of armed groups in the area.

africanews