Africa-Press – Angola. The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Téte António, reiterated, in Lusaka (Zambia), the need to prioritize the political route for resolving conflicts.
The Angolan government official and member of the Organ’s Ministerial Committee (CMO) was speaking to the press at the end of the Extraordinary Summit of the Double Troika of the Southern African Development Community (SADC).
“Whatever deployment of forces we make, we must always bear in mind that the political solution is the path we must prioritize”, he said, in reference to the SADC missions in the Democratic Republic of Congo (SAMIDRC) and in Mozambique (SAMIM ).
He considered the meeting to be an opportunity for the countries to hear the ongoing diplomatic efforts, particularly by the President of the Republic, João Lourenço, as mediator appointed by the African Union (AU), in addition to assessing, among other aspects, the security situation in eastern DRC and northern Mozambique.
Téte António spoke about some points contained in the summit’s final communiqué, mainly linked to deployment, mobilization of resources and other means inherent to the sustainability of missions.
However, although it is not referenced in the document issued at the high-level meeting in Lusaka, the minister spoke of the possible decision to phase out the withdrawal of SAMIM troops, stressing that the process must be carried out without leaving a security gap.
According to the statement, the summit received updated reports on the situation in the DRC and Mozambique and reiterated the regional organization’s support for the two governments in order to achieve lasting peace, stability and security.
He congratulated the troop contributing countries and expressed his appreciation to the men and women deployed in the SAMIM and SAMIDRC missions for their service in preserving peace and security in the region.
The summit expressed full support for the continent’s political and diplomatic processes, including the Luanda Process, led by the President, João Lourenço, and the Nairobi Process, led by the former president of Kenya, Uhuru Kenyatta.
The Luanda Process, or CIRGL Roadmap on the Pacification Process in eastern DRC, is a document focused, among other aspects, on the establishment of a climate of trust between the States of the Great Lakes Region, the creation of ideal conditions for political dialogue and consultation and normalization of political and diplomatic relations between the DRC and Rwanda, as well as the immediate cessation of hostilities.
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