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MONUC patrol boats leave for Mbandaka

    NAIROBI

    The UN Mission in the DRC (MONUC) on Friday said that two speedboats were travelling northeast from Kinshasa to Mbandaka to test the navigability of the Congo river which had remained closed for over two years. “The patrol boats are escorting a barge carrying fuel and vehicles, and are expected to reach Mbandaka in seven days,” a MONUC statement said. “The convoy includes 12 crew members of the Uruguayan riverine unit.” The mission aims to test safety on the river in order to open it to normal traffic in a bid to resume trade between the Congolese provinces, it said. On Thursday, a team of MONUC observers boarded a boat from Mbandaka to the northeastern town of Kisangani to prepare for opening the river for the free movement of people and goods. All these movements are in line with the Security Council decision to open the river Congo as announced recently by the Council mission to the Great Lakes region.

    This article was produced by IRIN News while it was part of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Please send queries on copyright or liability to the UN. For more information: https://shop.un.org/rights-permissions

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