Africa-Press – Angola. The President of the Republic, João Lourenço, reinforced, this Tuesday, the need for the normalization of political-diplomatic relations between the DRC and Rwanda, including the cessation of hostilities and the immediate withdrawal of positions occupied by the M23 to centers of cantonment.
The Angolan statesman was speaking at the Summit of Heads of States and Governments of the political and economic regions of Africa, within the framework of the coordination of efforts for the peace of the continent, in particular in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
He emphasized that Angola is carrying out initiatives aimed at re-launching the foundations of a constructive dialogue and peace between the DRC and Rwanda, with the aim of defusing the tension between the two neighboring countries, as a result of the resurgence of the M23 which, since the beginning of 2022, triggered armed actions and occupied several locations in Congolese territory.
He said that it was within the scope of the CIRGL that Angola facilitated the dialogue between the parties which, among other aspects, allowed the adoption of the Roadmap of Luanda on the pacification process of the eastern region of the DRC.
He made it known that all organizations present at this summit are invested with the same mission, to see the Great Lakes Region free from the scourges of conflicts, which irremediably postpone development plans and therefore compromise the much-desired agenda of regional integration and continental.
He recalled that for three decades, Angola was the victim of an armed conflict, “which is why we understand, from lived experience, the horrors that the populations of the east of the DRC, a sister country with which we share a long border, know today”.
“It is in this spirit of solidarity and within the framework of the mandate we received from the African Union in May 2022 that Angola has been carrying out a series of initiatives aimed at relaunching the foundations of a constructive dialogue and peace between the DRC and Rwanda,” he said.
He recalled that, within the framework of the Roadmap for Luanda, a joint action plan was adopted for the resolution of the security crisis in the east of the DRC, within which it was agreed the cantonment of the M23 elements in Congolese territory and the beginning of the repatriation of all refugees as well as the process of disarmament and reintegration.
He recalled that Angola, as mediator in the process, undertook to deploy a contingent of the Angolan Armed Forces (FAA), to guarantee the safety of the M23 elements in the cantonment centres.
“There is a need to implement the decisions taken at the various summits, with a view to guaranteeing the credibility and trust of the process”, he pointed out.
With this objective in mind, the Luanda Summit on 3 June this year mandated the Ministers of Relations of Angola, DRC, Rwanda and Burundi to meet periodically to carry out a joint assessment of the progress made in implementing the commitments arising from of the Roadmap of Luanda and the joint action plan for the pacification of the DRC.
“In the framework of the deliberations of this summit, we will try to privilege the efforts of the coordination of the comparative advantages that each one of the Regional Economic Communities can offer in this process of pacification of the Region of the Great Lakes”, he stressed.
According to the Angolan statesman, the role of coordination of the African Union and monitoring of the United Nations is fundamental and can contribute to the reinforcement of the principle of subsidiarity, with a view to achieving the much-desired pacification of the east of the DRC.
The inter-regional meeting is part of the deliberations of the XI Extraordinary Summit of Heads of State of the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region (CIRGL), held on the 3rd of this month, in Luanda, on an initiative of the President of Angola, João Lourenço.
Participating in the quadripartite meeting are the President of the Union of the Comoros and acting of the African Union, Azali Assoumani, the Head of State of Zimbabwe and acting President of the Peace and Security Council of the African Union, Emmerson Mnangagwa, and the President of Gabon, and member of the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS), Ali Bongo.
Also present are the President of Burundi and the East African Community (EAC), Evarist Ndayishimiye, the Head of State of the Democratic Republic of Congo, and the acting President of the Southern African Development Community (SADC), Félix Tshisekedi, the former President of Kenya and CAO Designated Facilitator Uhuru Muigai Kenyatta.
The quadripartite summit also features the Vice-President of Namibia, Nangolo Mbumba, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Rwanda, Vincent Biruta, the President of the African Union Commission, Moussa Faki Mahammat, Ambassador Parfait Onanga, representative of the Secretary General of UN, as well as the President of the ECCAS Commission, and the Executive Secretaries of IRGL, SADC and CAO.
For More News And Analysis About Angola Follow Africa-Press
