Congo-Kinshasa: U.S. Backs Regional Approach to DRC
The US Under Secretary for Political Affairs, Wendy Sherman, has said that the ongoing efforts by the ICGLR to end violence in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, are an indication of the region's collective desire for peace.
The ICGLR (International Conference on the Great Lakes Region) is a grouping of 11 member states and under the current steward ship of Uganda's President Yoweri Museveni have been involved in various efforts to bring peace and stability to the region.
Sherman is expected to travel to DRC today where she will hold talks with President Joseph Kabila about the situation in eastern DRC where several rebel groups have operated for decades.
The DRC government has of recent come under serious criticism for failure to address the underlying causes of conflicts that have left thousands of Congolese raped, displaced or even killed.
"The countries in the Great Lakes including Rwanda, Uganda, DRC, Kenya and others have shown a common interest in ending the crisis in the eastern parts of DRC," Sherman said.
She added: "Although the situation involves complex issues like ethnic identity, transit and DRC's ability, it has been illustrated that no one is willing to support the negative forces operating in Congo and the country's sovereignty will be supported at all times."
Sherman, who was addressing reporters from across the continent through a telephone conference, while in Nairobi, noted that her talks with President Kabila will also focus on prosperity for the region.
"I will be holding talks with President Joseph Kabila tomorrow (today) on the situation, as we continue to seek for a way back to peace, security and prosperity for the region," she said.
Sherman further commented on Uganda's decision to withdraw its troops from UN backed missions in Somalia, the Central African Republic and the DRC in retaliation to a controversial leaked UN report that alleged Uganda and Rwanda were fuelling the crisis in Congo and supporting armed groups.
Uganda provides the largest contingent to the UN-backed African Union mission in Somalia (Amisom).
The Amisom force has helped the Somali government gain ground against Islamist militias.
"The United States will not comment on the UN report that was leaked by the media but what I am confident about is that Uganda has played a critical role in finding peace and security in the region. I have had positive talks with President Museveni and we largely agreed on continuing efforts to defeat negative forces and create peace," Sherman said.
"Last week I also held talks with President Paul Kagame and discussed a variety of issues including Rwanda's role on the UN Security Council and regional security. Generally, there is political will in the region to reach a positive end to the instability."
Sherman's trip to the Great Lakes began October 29, and is expected to conclude on November 8.
Congo-Kinshasa: Ban Calls for 'Concerted' Efforts to Bring Peace to Eastern DR Congo
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said he remained deeply concerned over the security and humanitarian situations in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), and called for "continued and sustained high-level dialogue" to bring peace to the region.In a message to the Summit of the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region (ICGLR), held yesterday in Kampala, Uganda, Mr. Ban condemned violence and serious human rights violations against civilians by the rebel March 23 Movement (M23) and other armed entities in eastern DRC, adding that the abuses should be thoroughly investigated.
"The M23, [which] has recently made advances northwards from its positions in [DRC's eastern province of] North Kivu, is continuing destabilizing activities in areas that it occupies, and is perpetrating serious human rights violations, including child recruitment and sexual violence," said Mr. Ban's message, which was distributed to delegates at the meeting.
"Furthermore, other armed groups have stepped up their activities. Over 260,000 people have been displaced in North Kivu alone in the past several months, while over 60,000 additional Congolese have crossed into Rwanda and Uganda."
Mr. Ban said that all support to the M23 and other armed groups must "cease immediately and permanently."
But as he warned that the deteriorating security situation in eastern DRC threatened the stability in the wider Great Lakes region, he also stressed that it was "vitally important" for regional and international peace and security to uphold the territorial integrity and sovereignty of UN Member States. Such a principle was an "inviolable principle and cornerstone of international law."
Mr. Ban called for "concerted efforts" by all concerned national, regional and international actors to seek a path to peace.
"I strongly encourage continued and sustained high-level dialogue at the bilateral and regional level aimed at restoring mutual trust and political will to address underlying causes of the conflict," he stated.
The Secretary-General offered his "good offices, when and if appropriate," to help find a peaceful solution to the region's troubles.
He also said he looked forward to the outcomes of discussions on the proposed international neutral force to be deployed along the DRC-Rwanda border, which will be informed by the report of the ICGLR's Military Assessment Team.
"Clarity on the concept and operational modalities of such a force, as well as its coordination with MONUSCO will be important," he said, referring to the UN Organization Stabilization Mission in DRC.
Mr. Ban also welcomed the recent progress in strengthening confidence-building measures, and cited the launching on 14 September in Goma of the expanded Joint Verification Mechanism (JVM).
First discussed in June, the mechanism is a technical body, comprising experts from both DRC and Rwanda and those of the UN and African Union, to address DRC-Rwanda border security issues.
"The United Nations, through MONUSCO, is supporting the work of the JVM and of the Joint Intelligence Fusion Centre in Goma, and strongly encourages close cooperation between the partners for their full and effective implementation," Mr. Ban said.