Beni (DR Congo) (AFP)

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres made a raid Sunday in the Red Zone in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo in Beni where people are under double pressure from armed groups and the Ebola outbreak.

In this sensitive zone, he promised the continued support of the peacekeepers against the formidable militia ADF of Ugandan origin and multiplied the messages of prevention facing the epidemic of haemorrhagic fever.

"The United Nations Mission in Congo (MONUSCO) and its partners, the Congolese Armed Forces and the National Police will continue to work together to bring peace and security to the region," said the UN boss at his office. arrival in Beni.

We must "contain" the attacks of the ADF but also "attack", he said later, recalling that 27 peacekeepers have died in the region in recent years.

"Then there are local armed groups," he said, repeating his message to reintegrate Congolese militia into their community.

"The best response to terrorism and violence is development," he said, citing the "vicious circle" in which the DRC is located, where young people are tempted by armed groups for lack of jobs.

In the region of Beni, a rapid intervention force of MONUSCO is supposed to support the Congolese army in its fight against the ADF, accused of the massacre of hundreds of civilians.

"We would like Monusco to play its full role," an army spokesman said on Saturday, announcing an upcoming offensive against the ADF.

The inhabitants of Beni sometimes accuse the UN force, one of the largest in the world with 16,000 men, of inaction against the rebels.

"It is important for the people of Beni to know that we have heard their cries of distress," said the UN boss.

The current mandate of Monusco is valid until December 31st. The UN has already closed bases and reduced its civilian workforce in the DRC.

- "Those who come can heal" -

The fight against insecurity and the future of the United Nations in the DRC will be on the menu of his meeting in Kinshasa on Monday with Congolese President Felix Tshisekedi.

Mr. Guterres then flew to Mangina, the first outbreak of the Ebola outbreak in August 2018. Since then, the disease has killed more than 2,000 people in Beni, Butembo, Katwa, with cases as far as Goma and Uganda.

In Mangina, a town under palm trees and eucalyptus 30 km from Beni, the epidemic has killed 285 people for 606 confirmed cases, most of them women, as well as children under five.

The UN leader has sent a message to the residents who resist the message of prevention (denial of the disease, refusal of care, violence against the teams of the response), one of the main challenges to health teams .

"We must tell everyone that at the slightest suspicion, we must come to check if there is no problem," he said after the visit of the Ebola Treatment Center (ETC). ).

"It's worth coming in. There are people who could think: well, I'm going to die, why am I going? No, it's not true. Those who come here can heal. send this message to everyone Do not hide the symptoms Come, "he insisted after greeting the" winners "of Ebola (healed people).

On this Sunday after Mass, hundreds of people, including many children, surrounded the imposing UN procession in this farming village of Mangina.

"We are happy with her presence, it is a comforting visit that gives us even more courage and hope, which motivates us more.It's been a year since we were in this epidemic," she added.

"He came to comfort us with the horrors we experienced in our communities," said Mwami Kapupa, the representative of customary chiefs.

© 2019 AFP