Weather monitoring company Muir Matheson has recently been working alongside the United Nations on a peacekeeping mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

The Aberdeen-based company was commissioned to install and relocate automated weather observation systems on a number of UN operated airfields, including Kananga, Kisangani, Mbandaka and Kalemie. The project was initially assigned to Muir Matheson for eight days, but was extended to five weeks and has been extended yet again this month, to assist the UN in opening up more airfields and rural areas to fly in relief aid and peacekeeping forces.

The UN has been on a peacekeeping mission for the last two years in the war-torn country, as there is mass unrest between the Congolese Government and the rebels. The UN is currently brokering an agreement to set up a joint government and prevent further hostilities, but aid workers say that the country is still suffering from one of Africa's worst humanitarian crises in decades. Around 1.4 million of its people depend on the World Food Programme to survive and hundreds thousands more need help.

Steven Murray at Muir Matheson spearheaded the project in the Democratic Republic of Congo. He said: "It's a great honour to be able to work with such a well known and respected international organisation and we hope that the work we have done will help to fly in relief aid and peacekeeping forces. As a company we cover a broad range of projects for our clients worldwide and adapt our services to meet their individual needs."

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