Africa-Press – Angola. The request for authorization from the President of the Republic, João Lourenço, as Commander-in-Chief of the Angolan Armed Forces (FAA) to send a military contingent to support and maintain peace in the eastern region of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), will be discussed and voted in the National Assembly, in an extraordinary plenary session scheduled for Friday.
The information was made public, yesterday, in Luanda, by the first secretary of the Board of the National Assembly, Manuel Dembo, after the Conference of the Presidents of the Parliamentary Groups, in which the matter in question, submitted as a matter of urgency to the National Assembly by the President.
According to the first secretary of the Bureau of the National Assembly, the leaders of the Parliamentary Groups duly assessed the project and, given the urgency, the first Extraordinary Plenary meeting was called for discussion and voting on the 17th (Friday) and the second for the 29th of the current month.
After voting by the National Assembly, the President of the Republic of Angola, as Commander-in-Chief of the FAA, will be in a position to authorize the dispatch of a unit from the Support Contingent for Peacekeeping Operations to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC ).
The Angolan Head of State, João Lourenço, chairs the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region (CIRGL) and is also the African Union (AU) mediator in the crisis between Rwanda and the DRC.
The deployment of the FAA Peacekeeping Support Contingent unit is part of the decisions taken by the different mini-summits on the peace and security process in the DRC, in accordance with Angola’s responsibilities as a mediator.
Proposal by João Lourenço
The announcement of the sending of the unit of the Support Contingent to the Peacekeeping Operations of the Angolan Armed Forces comes after the Head of State, João Lourenço, proposed, in Addis Ababa, capital of Ethiopia, the clear definition of areas of cantonment, funding for the process and preparation of areas for the maintenance of M23 forces.
This route suggested by President João Lourenço is seen as part of the effective conditions needed in the quest for peace in the eastern region of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). President João Lourenço, as President of the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region (CIRGL) and “Champion of the African Union for Peace and Reconciliation”, joined in a Mini-Summit, which took place on February 17, in Addis Ababa , the Presidents of the Democratic Republic of Congo, Félix Tshisekedi, and of Rwanda, Paul Kagame.
It was yet another initiative to achieve definitive peace in the East of the DRC. In that region, the armed group M23 unleashed military destabilization actions, generating a climate of permanent instability between the DRC and Rwanda, the latter accused of providing protection, in its territory, to elements of the armed group.
In a clear crusade for peace, the President of Angola invited, at the time, his counterparts from Uganda, Burundi, Rwanda, Kenya, South Sudan and Tanzania to take part in the mediation meeting for the end of the conflict in eastern DRC.
On the occasion, the Angolan President enlightened his counterparts on the steps taken, so far, in the process of pacification in the east of the DRC. “We are here once again to see if we can find the best paths to peace in the east of the DRC. This is a process that has already taken a long time. It started in Luanda, passed through Kenya, Burundi, Washington DC, in the United States, where we we met last December, once again in Burundi, a few days ago, and we took the opportunity of being here, in Addis Ababa, to see if, once again, we unblocked the problems that, unfortunately, persist on the ground”, he said. He thus reminded those present that a ceasefire had already been achieved and that the M23 forces would then have to be cantoned, disarmed and, consequently, reintegrated into Congolese society. referred João Lourenço, the only positive step that happened in the whole process was, effectively, the ceasefire. “Therefore, we were unable to take the next step that was required, which was to define and prepare the cantonment areas. I believe that our mission would be to focus on the need to define the cantonment zones, who should indicate them, who should prepare them, what sources of funding we can count on, to keep the M23 troops in the agreed places for as long as necessary, while they are not reintegrated into Congolese society”, punctuated, at the time, the Angolan Head of State.
For João Lourenço, all discussions should revolve around these points, which, as he insisted on remembering, are the areas of Cantonment, Financing and Preparation to keep the M23 forces in barracks.
Kinshasa thanks Angola for its efforts in the search for peace
The first vice-president of the Parliament of the Democratic Republic of Congo, André Mbata, yesterday thanked Angola for its support, dedication and commitment in the process of pacification in the eastern region.
André Mbata, who was speaking to the Angolan press at the end of a meeting with the President of the National Assembly, Carolina Cerqueira, said that Angolan support is being essential for the process of pacification in the east of his country, highlighting the direct intervention of President João Lawrence.
The official also expressed satisfaction with the fact that Angola was sending a military contingent to ensure the supervision of the process of cantonment of the M23 soldiers, as well as the safety of the local populations.
“Angola is demonstrating that it is effectively with the people of the DRC, it is concerned with peace in the DRC. And this demonstration, made with actions, satisfies the desires of the Congolese people, because it will help to pacify the eastern region”, he said.
Angola announced, on Saturday, the dispatch of a unit from the Support Contingent for Peacekeeping Operations of the Angolan Armed Forces (FAA), to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
The information released on the official page of the Presidency of the Republic, on the social network Facebook, adds that the unit’s main objective is to secure the areas where the elements of the M23 cantonment and protect the members of the Ad Hoc Verification Mechanism.
Angola took the initiative to inform the leaders of the region about this concert, within the framework of coordination between the Luanda and Nairobi Processes, as well as the United Nations, African Union and the Economic Community of Central African States (CEEAC).
The deployment of the FAA Peacekeeping Support Contingent unit is part of the decisions taken by the different mini-summits on the peace and security process in the DRC, in accordance with Angola’s responsibilities as a mediator.
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