Jean-Tobi Okala, a United Nations official, paid tribute to the action of Morocco and the Moroccan contingent deployed within the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (Monusco) .
“I sincerely want to salute the contribution of the Moroccan contingent to MONUSCO. Before, we had here a combat unit of the royal armed forces endowed with a great know-how having enabled the accomplishment of great achievements for the benefit of peace “said Jean-Tobi Okala, in charge of information for Monusco in Ituri, indicating that the peacekeepers who are still there work more in the social field.
The Moroccan blue helmets manage the Level 2 hospital and receive both United Nations and Congolese patients, as well as organizing humanitarian actions outside the hospital (consultations, drug donations, etc.), explained Jean-Tobi Okala in a video released by the UN mission on the occasion of the celebration of the International Day of Blue Helmets on May 29.
The International Day of Peacekeepers is an international day that takes place every year on May 29. It is an event created in December 2002 by the General Assembly of the United Nations. This Day pays tribute to civilian, police and military personnel for their invaluable contribution to the work of the United Nations.
“At the United Nations, vulnerable people are at the heart of our areas of protection, and our Moroccan friends do this regularly for the return of peacebuilding in this province and in this country”Okala said.
The Moroccan contingent has been carrying out actions to support the local population for several years, particularly in terms of health services thanks to the MONUSCO level 2 hospital in Bunia (western DRC), set up by Morocco in 2003.
For his part, doctor-colonel Mimoun Serraj, chief doctor of the said hospital in Bunia who joined MONUSCO in February 2022, and whose mission is to monitor and manage this important infrastructure, in addition to relations with partners. military, but also with civilian actors, mentioned the intervention of the Moroccan contingent for the benefit of the local population.
The doctor-colonel Mimoun Serraj emphasized in particular the realization of two humanitarian actions, the first of which at the level of the general hospital of Bunia and the second at the level of the local prison in Bunia as well.
“For the first action, we provided a substantial supply of medicines and pharmacy devices in response to a request from the hospital which had to treat around forty people injured in an accident, while during the second operation in the prison in the same locality, an allocation of medicines was given in addition to the realization of a hundred specialized consultations “he said.
These actions are important for peace, he said, noting that mutual humanitarian assistance facilitates the establishment of peace at the level of the local population.
The Moroccan contingent also has other operations to its credit, such as the one that benefited children in an orphanage.
“The choice of the orphanage was guided by the fact that the development and well-being of children throughout the world is an essential component for the humanitarian actions of the United Nations”, remarked the doctor-colonel Mimoun Serraj.
“This action was centered on oral awareness and hand hygiene in view of their importance in preserving the health of the child”he added.
According to Mimoun Serraj, among the assets of working in MONUSCO is “that we are obliged to connect with other actors, civilian or military, and together we can contribute to the consolidation of the platform for peace , a major objective of the UN and of course of MONUSCO in the Democratic Republic of Congo”.
Partnership is a key factor for the success of a mission, he insisted.
It should be recalled that on July 1, 2010, MONUSCO replaced the United Nations Organization Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (MONUC), pursuant to Security Council resolution 1925 (2010) dated May 28, 2010.
The new mission is authorized to use all means necessary to carry out its mandate, in particular with a view to ensuring the protection of civilians, humanitarian personnel and human rights personnel who are under threat imminent physical violence and to support the Government of the DRC in its efforts to stabilize and consolidate peace.
It should be noted that Morocco is currently deploying more than 1,700 soldiers and police in UN operations in the Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Sudan and South Sudan.
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