Local support recommended combating urban crime in Kinshasa

Kinshasa, May 2^nd, 2025 (CPA) – Local support to combat violence linked to urban banditry was advocated on Wednesday at a conference organized in Kasa-Vubu, a commune in the centre of Kinshasa, the capital of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).  ‘Local support is an approach that favors extra-judicial, community-based management of urban kuluna violence, focusing on the full involvement of the young people concerned and respect for their fundamental rights’, said Raoul Kienge-Kienge, Director of the School of Criminology at the University of Kinshasa (Unikin). ‘Accompanying a young person described as a kuluna in order to extricate him or her from violence, using the holistic community accompaniment approach with a view to socio-professional reintegration, is another way of thinking about public policy on banditry management’, he added. In his view, successful support for young people escaping from urban violence depends on consolidating and perpetuating mutual trust between the players involved, and on the participation and empowerment of young people throughout the process. Rémy Mafu, general coordinator of the Network of Educators for Street Children and Young People (Reejer), who attended the conference, was delighted to see a number of other people taking part in the discussions. ‘And we are confident that your interest in this issue has motivated you to join us today. Thank you for accepting our invitation. I wish you inspiring and enriching discussions that will bring hope to our country, the Democratic Republic of Congo’, he said.