U.S. Gives 1.2 Million Dollars For Reinsertion Of Congo Brazzaville Ex-combatants

The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has donated $1.2 million to the government of the Republic of Congo (Brazzaville) for the reinsertion of ex-combatants of various wars in the country.

The official launching of the activities of the protocol between USAID and the Congolese government took place on Wednesday, Sept. 15 in Kinkala, Pool division, presided over by Euloge Landry Kolelas, the Congolese High Commissioner for the Reinsertion of Ex-combatants.

The project nicknamed “Bissalu bia kindzunu” translated to mean “activities arising from peace” would involve the financing of revenue generating activities that procure financial autonomy to ex-combatants and their families. 

It is piloted by the Catholic Relief Services (CRS) in partnership with the Episcopal Commission for Justice and Peace of the Catholic Church.

The pilot phase of the project is being carried out in twenty villages with ten villages each selected from the districts of Kindamba and Mayama.

The project would be executed in two years during which time it is hoped it would enable the families to attain relative ease in their living conditions.

The project would reinforce peace, security, cohesion, communal resilience, and facilitate revenue generating activities with a view to curtailing unemployment which is a situation that can lead to the resumption of violence.

Th Chargee d-Affaires at the U.S. Embassy in Brazzaville, Ellen Thorburn, said during the launching that the accord reinforces the capacities of more development projects and support to Congo in the coming years adding that the accord is but one among others of a long series of accords to come with the government to demonstrate that the United States invests in the future of the Congolese people.

Minister Euloge Landry Kolelas on his part said “the security crisis that disturbed the peace in Pool division had largely slowed down its development and at the same time destabilized and impacted the social life of the populations as well as its social framework.”

“Thanks to the unshakeable will and the personal involvement of President Denis Sassou N’Guesso, several initiatives have been started for the restoration of peace and security in this part of the country. Peace which is one of the roots of all harmonious development would henceforth permit Pool division to work towards the future,” Euloge Landry Kolelas declared.

The High Commissioner for the Reinsertion of Ex-combatants saluted the bilateral and multilateral partners of his country among which are United Nations agencies, USAID as well as associations and civil society organizations notably the church, which partnership through projects it generated, has uncontestably contributed towards the normalization of socio-economic life materialized by the free circulation of persons, goods and services throughout the division.

Euloge Landry Kolelas finally called on the beneficiary communities and all the stakeholders, notably the local authorities to take part in the activities of the project in order to attain the planned major objectives.