Ituri: $3.16m to reintegrate ex-militiamen as UN mission shifts phase

A new $3.16 million allocation for Ituri is being framed not only as a local reintegration programme, but as part of a wider effort to keep stabilization work moving as the UN peacekeeping footprint evolves in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. The Stabilization Coherence Fund says the funding will support the return of displaced people and the reintegration of former militiamen in Djugu, Irumu and Mahagi, three territories that have repeatedly been affected by armed-group violence.

The programme was launched in Bunia on Monday, February 23, with provincial/state officials and UN representatives in attendance, according to Radio Okapi. Beyond immediate assistance, it is explicitly linked to two broader tracks: supporting the national Disarmament, Demobilization, Community Recovery and Stabilization Programme (PDDRC-S) and accompanying the transition of MONUSCO language that places the project inside a longer political and security timeline, rather than a one-off humanitarian intervention.

Implementation will be handled by a UN-led consortium, with UNDP in the lead alongside IOM, UN Women, UNICEF and OHCHR, the report said. The stated focus includes rebuilding the conditions for security, promoting coexistence, and reinforcing social cohesion between host communities and returning families, while helping former fighters re-enter civilian life in their places of origin.

Axel Kotoga, identified as the head of UNDP’s office in Bunia, said the approach is meant to work “alongside provincial authorities” and “with all stakeholders” to strengthen efforts already underway through PDDRC-S signalling that the project is designed to plug into state-led mechanisms and local governance rather than operate in parallel.

The Stabilization Coherence Fund itself is presented by the UN Multi-Partner Trust Fund Office as a key mechanism supporting project implementation under the International Security and Stabilization Support Strategy, indicating the kind of pooled financing that UN agencies and partners use to align security, recovery and governance work in priority zones.

In Ituri, where armed-group activity persists, the stakes of reintegration extend beyond individual livelihoods: the credibility of DDR pathways can shape local security dynamics, return patterns, and community trust especially when returns and reintegration happen in the same contested spaces. Separate UN peacekeeping reporting has also highlighted DDR-related efforts in Ituri tied to returns to civilian life, underscoring how these programmes intersect with protection and stabilization priorities.