Luanda - Angola reaffirmed, on Monday, at UN headquarters in New York, its commitment to continue working to achieve lasting peace and stability in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and the Great Lakes Region.
Speaking at the UN Security Council session on the situation in the Democratic Republic of Congo, the deputy permanent representative and chargé d'affairesof the Angolan Mission to the United Nations, Mateus Luemba, highlighted the involvement of the President of the Republic, João Lourenço, while mediator mandated by the African Union to help resolve the diplomatic crisis between the DRC and Rwanda.
According to Ambassador Mateus Luemba, this is an unequivocal demonstration of the importance that issues of peace and stability represent for the country and the continent.
The Angolan diplomat took the opportunity to share the latest developments in the Luanda Process, which aims to reduce tension and re-establish a climate of mutual trust and cooperation between the two brotherly countries.
In this regard, he mentioned that, following several expert meetings, the sixth Ministerial Meeting between the DRC and Rwanda, which took place on 25 November of the current year, in Luanda, approved the Concept of Operations, a document strategy that defines the modalities for the implementation of the Harmonized Plan for the Neutralization of the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR), Withdrawal of Forces/Lift of Defense Measures for Rwanda.
According to Mateus Luemba, the full operationalization of this mechanism represents a significant step forward in ensuring close monitoring of the Operations Concept and full compliance with agreed security measures.
The diplomat informed that an Angola-Rwanda-DRC tripartite summit will be held in Luanda, on December 15, 2024, under the auspices of President João Lourenço, in order to accelerate stabilization efforts for peace in eastern DRC.
This summit, he said, will bring together Félix Tshisekedi, President of the DRC, and Paul Kagame, President of Rwanda, respectively, and will represent the culmination of a series of mediation initiatives, to achieve peace, stability and economic development in the region.
“Angola is optimistic about the progress made so far towards achieving definitive peace in the East of the DRC and the high level of commitment demonstrated by the two countries involved throughout the negotiation process”, he highlighted.
He highlighted that the efforts undertaken by the Mediator will only be successful if all interested parties and relevant actors, including the Security Council, continue to firmly support the process with a view to contributing to the creation of an environment conducive to security and stability in the region.
In concluding his speech, Ambassador Mateus Luemba highlighted two other important initiatives undertaken by the Government of Angola with the aim of contributing to peace and stability in the region, namely the High-Level Regional Forum of Women in the Great Lakes Region, held in Luanda on 18 and 19 October, to promote greater involvement of women in the ongoing peace process in the Great Lakes Region.
As part of its commitment to work with the United Nations to support the implementation of the Enhanced Ad-hoc Verification Mechanism, the Republic of Angola signed a Memorandum of Understanding with MONUSCO on 23 November.
In addition to the members of the Security Council, the session on the situation in the DRC was attended by Thérèse Kayikwamba Wagner, Minister of State and Foreign Affairs, International Cooperation and Francophonie of the Democratic Republic of Congo, Bintou Keita, Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for the DRC, the Permanent Representative of Rwanda and a representative of Congolese civil society.
Representatives of China, Ecuador, Slovenia, the Russian Federation, France, Malta, the United Kingdom, the Republic of Korea, Sierra Leone, Switzerland and the United States of America, the latter of which held the presidency of the Security Council in December, also took part in the debate.
All speakers were unanimous in recognizing the mediation efforts of the Angolan President, João Lourenço, through the Luanda Process. ART/DOJ
