"My visits to the provinces may be relatively short but I would like to stress that the rest of the DR Congo must not be forgotten," the MONUC Head of Mission said on his arrival in Mbuji Mayi for a working visit. This visit is the second of Mr Doss in Mbuji Mayi, 20 years after the first when he was Head of United Nations Development Program in DRC

"Ultimately the real challenge is winning the battle for development - and as quickly as possible," he added.

He said he knows people are waging that battle when he sees that the problems faced by the province remain the same it has experienced in the last 20 years. The difficulties include having access to water and energy supply; having to deal with isolation because of the lack of roads.

All of these problems plus the need to revitalize agricultural production and regulate mining activities remain today's challenges, according to Mr. Doss. " True, we are working on the situation in the east [but] the rest of the country must not be forgotten," he said. "Development efforts need to be stepped up".

Mr Doss suggested that efforts by international donors such as the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund, and also bilateral partners should not focus on any one part of the country but extend to all parts of the country also must receive support.