Two camps designed and built by IOM to house 1,038 military personnel and their families have been inaugurated in South Kivu in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).

The inauguration of USD 11 million Dutch-funded project was attended by DRC Deputy Prime Minister Alexandre Luba Ntambo, the Special Representative of the UN Secretary General Roger Meece and the Ambassadors of the Netherlands and the European Union.

Following the March 2009 Goma Peace Accords that formally brought an end to the war in the eastern part of the DRC, different rebel groups had to be integrated into the DRC armed forces (FARDC), with the help of the international community.

In order to help military families who had been living in tents for years, and in order to create conditions for improved discipline in the armed forces, IOM began the housing project in mid-2009.

Designed to house officers, non-commissioned officers, soldiers and their families, the two camps were sited at Nyamunyunyi, close to Bukavu / Kavumu airport, and Saïo in Bukavu.

The troops and some 5,000 of their dependents moved in ahead of the inauguration. In addition to separate homes, the project also includes barracks for 300 soldiers without dependents.

The camps were constructed by a mixed civilian and military work force under the supervision of IOM architects and engineers, in close cooperation with the civil engineering corps of the army. For many of the young civilian workforce, it was the first time that they had experienced regular paid employment.

Working with UNDP and local development committees from three communities surrounding the camps, IOM teams also built 13 classrooms and sanitary facilities in three schools, two covered markets, two community centres and other infrastructure projects.

For more information, please contact
 
Michael Tschanz
IOM Kinshasa
Tel: + 243 810 36 36 40
Email: mtschanz@iom.int