DRC: Swearing-in ceremony for 63 judicial police officers from the National Land Use Planning Observatory (ONAT)

Kinshasa, July 20^th, 2025 (CPA)- Sixty-three (63) judicial police officers from the National Observatory for Land Use Planning (ONAT) were sworn in on Saturday before the public prosecutor at the High Court of Kinshasa-Gombe, in the center of the capital of the Democratic Republic of Congo. ‘I welcome you to the courthouse and promise our support in your new roles. We are delighted to have the new law on land use planning in the DRC, and we are ready to work with you to realize the vision of the Head of State,’ said Edmond Kanga, public prosecutor at the High Court of Gombe. He congratulated the arrival of this new team, which will join the corps to strengthen the authority of the State. Previously, Mr Guy Loando, Minister of State in charge of land use planning, had asked the public prosecutor to accompany them and receive their oaths, so that they could begin their work as judicial police officers. « The President of the Republic, Head of State, has initiated the production of spatial planning tools for observing land use, in order to enable harmonious and controlled development of the territory. The law on land use planning has already been published in the Official Journal, » added Mr Guy Loando, adding that from now on in the DRC, nothing can be done or no space can be occupied in the country without taking into account spatial planning tools. According to him, the inspectors who will be deployed are required to enforce these spatial planning tools, arguing that the Palace of Justice will be monitored to ensure that what is built here complies with the spatial planning tool. It should be noted that these judicial police officers who took the oath underwent 45 days of training at the General Directorate of the Police Training School (DGEF).