A/HRC/41/31 and further steps should be taken to prosecute, in addition, the members of the defence and security forces who were involved in serious crimes. 48 65. Legal proceedings alone will not be enough to restore peace and bring about reconciliation in the Kasai region. Since most criminals are insolvent, it naturally falls to the State to ensure that victims obtain reparation, even if it is merely symbolic. It was noted that the new President of the Republic, Félix Tshisekedi, had recently considered setting up a fund for the provision of reparation to victims of large-scale violence.49 66. The team of international experts is of the view that the measures taken in this regard should, above all, support the rebuilding of communities, while providing victims with the legal aid that they need in order to effectively assert their rights before the courts. 3. The issue of disarmament 67. As mentioned above, a disarmament process involving the Kamuina Nsapu militia was initiated in the days following the forum for peace, reconciliation and development in Kasai that was held in September 2017. The comments of the team of international experts on this operation, which has been suspended for several weeks, are as follows. 68. In view of the failures observed in the east of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the team of international experts considers that the disarmament process initiated in Kasai should not be based on the traditional approach of demobilization, disarmament and reintegration, whereby former militia members and combatants are routinely integrated into the regular defence and security forces. Instead, disarmament should be an integral part of the reintegration and reconciliation process and emphasis should be placed on integrating combatants into their respective communities. It also seems logical that significantly reducing the military presence and shutting down the zone of operations would help to support and encourage the disarmament of the militias. 4. The socioeconomic situation 69. Many of the recommendations made during the workshop in Kananga relate to the socioeconomic situation in the Kasai region. Participants suggested, for example, developing socioeconomic programmes to combat chronic youth unemployment and to support the economic integration of communities; launching construction projects where young persons could be employed to rebuild roads and tracks in Kasai; and renovating public buildings, such as the schools and health centres that were the targets of widespread destruction and looting during the conflict. 70. As the previous team of international experts mentioned in its report, the violence that erupted in Kasai assumed the proportions that it did because the local communities are suffering from extreme poverty, partly as a result of being abandoned by the central authorities and partly because the region of Kasai is virtually inaccessible by road or rail. These circumstances make it impossible for the region of Kasai, as a whole, to maintain regular trade and economic relations with the rest of the country, even though it has many potential sources of wealth. 71. The team of international experts believes that it is urgently necessary to adopt a real emergency plan for the development of the Kasai region in order to ensure that its economy and agriculture are sustainable and capable of reducing long-term unemployment among young persons, bearing in mind that such persons made up a large proportion of the militias that were involved in the violence. This will require large-scale investment in infrastructure, including roads, railways and access to electricity and water. The responsibility for this pressing task must be shouldered primarily by the Government, which could be assisted in its efforts by donors. 48 49 GE.19-07485 Presentation by Joséphine Bitota, professor and chancellor of the University of Kasai Central. Ibid. 15