KINSHASA, Democratic Republic of Congo, March 12 (UPI) -- The United Nations is backing a plan to deploy more than 300 newly trained police to help stabilize the volatile east of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
A police training program supported by the U.N. mission in Congo, known by the French initials MONUC, has graduated approximately 332 Congolese police officers. MONUC is backing an announced plan to deploy the newly trained officers to support security in the east of the country, where since the end of August, 250,000 civilians have been displaced because of rebel violence, the United Nations reported.
"There is still much to be done, particularly in the areas of humanitarian action, protection of civilians and extension of state authority," Alan Doss, a special representative of the U.N. secretary-general, said in a statement.
The police, trained at the Kapalata training center in Kisangani, Congo, are part of a MONUC and U.N. Office for Project Services plan to help bring stability to eastern Congo. Officials said the plan includes a deployment of 60 officers to support security for major road construction operations between the Congo towns of Sake and Masisi in the North Kivu province.
