Kimia II operations will probably be launched this Sunday in South Kivu province. This announcement was made in Bukavu on Thursday by the Chief of Staff of the Congolese Armed Forces (FARDC) Didier Etumba at a press briefing. So far troops in Kimia II operations have been taking position and merely responding to attacks by the FDLR. They are now in the active phase of the operation, reports radiookapi.net.

Didier Etumba also stated that the protection of civilians will be guaranteed prior to the operations: "You know that this launch has been a problem in the national community. Some even some Congolese and foreigners living here felt that the operations should not be launched, it was necessary to guarantee the protection of the population, but the majority of Congolese people believe that the time had come to finish with the FDLR. We will launch these operations no later than Sunday, we planned a series of measures to protect the population. Protecting the population is a sacred duty for the FARDC. "

Translated by CongoPlanet.com | Article in French