World Bank approves US $100-million grant

The World Bank has approved a US 100-million grant to help consolidate peace and promote economic stability in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).

In a statement issued in Washington D.C., the bank reported on Tuesday that the money would be used to support the DRC's emergency Demobilisation and Reintegration Project (DDR), under which an estimated 150,000 former combatants would be helped to integrate into civilian life.

"The government's programme will cover the entire country, and reintegration activities will be organised according to the settlement patterns of ex-combatants, and implementation capacities at the provincial and community levels," the bank said.

The programme would also promote the reallocation of government expenditure from the military to social and economic sectors, and is expected to have a significant impact on reducing poverty by contributing to the return of peace and security in rural areas.

The bank reported that the programme was developed within the framework of the Multi-country Demobilisation and Reintegration Programme (MDRP) for the greater Great Lakes region, a regional partnership initiative comprising seven governments and over 40 donor and multilateral agencies.

The bank reported that at a recent meeting of MDRP partners, donors endorsed a $100 million MDRP Trust Fund grant to complement its International Development Association grant approved on Tuesday.

"Assistance will be provided to help ex-combatants reintegrate themselves into their communities and establish sustainable livelihoods," John Elder, the World Bank's task team leader for the project, was quoted as saying.

"The DDR project fits within the bank's broader framework of assistance to DRC, and there will be many synergies with other public and private programmes supporting development at the community level," he added.