BRUSSELS, Sept. 23 (UPI) -- The Council of the European Union said Monday it extended two security programs for the Democratic Republic of Congo for the last time.
The council said Monday it extended a mandate for a European Union police force advisory mission in DRC. The year-long mandate is aimed at assisting with security sector reform in the country. A separate mission provides assistance for Congolese authorities working on national defense issues.
Combined, the two missions are allocated $20 million in funding through September 2014.
The U.N. Stabilization Mission in DRC last week said at least 80,000 people were forced to flee because of a new outbreak of violence in the country's eastern provinces.
Recent fighting between rebel forces and the national military are separate from ongoing clashes with the March 23 Movement, comprised of former soldiers who mutinied last year. M23 is suspected of committing war crimes in DRC.
Violence in DRC displaced more than 100,000 people in a country where a humanitarian crisis has impacted the lives of an estimated 2.6 million civilians.
The European Council said this is the last mandate for both DRC support missions.
