João Lourenço, still acting president of the Southern African Development Community (SADC), was speaking in Harare, capital of Zimbabwe, at the beginning of the 44th summit of heads of state and government of the regional organization, during which the The organization's rotating presidency was transferred to Zimbabwe.
The head of state took stock of the actions developed within the scope of the pacification efforts in the East of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRCongo), with emphasis on the recent ministerial meetings between DRCongo and Rwanda, held in Luanda and which culminated in a ceasefire accompanied by a troop demobilization process.
The meetings also resulted in the need to draw up a Neutralization Plan for the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR) and the adoption of measures to strengthen trust between the two parties and the Ad-hoc Verification Mechanism, an arbitration mechanism, which integrates Intelligence specialists from the three countries.
“Following the decisions I have just mentioned, Intelligence experts met in Luanda on the 7th and 8th of the current month and jointly developed the Harmonized Plan on the Neutralization of the FDLR, however there was an impasse in the preparation of the Force Disengagement Plan in the Operational Theater”, highlighted João Lourenço.
The head of state, mediator appointed by the African Union, also highlighted that when speaking last week with the presidents, Paul Kagame of Rwanda and Felix Tshisekedi, of DRCongo, to whom he submitted a proposal for a Peace Agreement, he noticed "a great political will from the themselves in resolving the conflict through negotiation”.
A ministerial meeting is scheduled for this Tuesday in Luanda to discuss and negotiate the terms of the aforementioned peace agreement proposal, “to be signed, at the best opportunity, in the presence of the three heads of state, of DRCongo, Rwanda and Angola ”, he highlighted.
João Lourenço also announced that steps have been taken with the United Nations, with a view to ensuring the support of MONUSCO - United Nations Mission for stabilization in DRCongo - for the activities of the Reinforced Ad-hoc Verification Mechanism, whose mandate will be crucial for the implementation of the Ceasefire, the Neutralization of the FDLR and the Disengagement of Forces.
The President praised the efforts of SADC and the “spirit of unity” of the countries that make up the organization, considering “that it is permanently at the basis of efforts to guarantee security, peace and stability in the region”.
“We will continue to count on your support and with the same willingness and availability as always, to help us in the efforts we make to contribute to the re-establishment of definitive peace in Eastern DRCongo”, he concluded.
The peace proposal presented by João Lourenço follows the entry into force of the ceasefire between DRCongo and Rwanda on August 4, mediated by Angola.
DRCongo accuses Rwanda of supporting the M23 rebel movement, to seize mineral resources in the east of the country, while the armed group claims to be defending a threatened part of the Tutsi population living in the province of North Kivu.
The M23 is one of more than 100 armed groups active in eastern DRCongo, a region very rich in gold and rare minerals essential to the largest technology companies in the world.
The Rio Congo Alliance, a political-military movement that includes armed groups such as the M23, congratulated all actors seeking a peaceful resolution of the crisis in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo, after the announcement of a ceasefire between Rwanda and the DRCongo mediated by Angola, but highlighted that it is not "automatically linked to the conclusions of meetings to which it was not invited", demanding direct dialogue with the Government of Kinshasa.
