Luanda - Angola diplomacy reiterated on Sunday (Jan 26), at the UN headquarters in New York, the strong commitment of President João Lourenço as the facilitator mandated by the African Union to assist in the search for peace and security in the East of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
According to a note to which ANGOP had access, this position was made official by Angola's representative to the United Nations, ambassador Francisco da Cruz, when speaking at the Security Council's emergency meeting on the situation in the DRC.
The diplomat focused his intervention on three key points, namely the current situation in the DRC, the Luanda Process and the way forward.
Regarding the issues in the DRC, he considered the increase in violence that has unfolded in the east of that country in recent weeks to be worrying.
He said that President João Lourenço, mandated by the African Union to ensure mediation in the crisis between the DRC and Rwanda, "expressed deep concern about the escalation of the conflict and the serious deterioration of the peace and security situation in the east of this country, particularly in the provinces of North and South Kivu".
According to Ambassador Francisco da Cruz, Angola strongly condemns and repudiates these actions, which represent a flagrant and unacceptable violation of the ceasefire in force since Aug 4, 2024.
For the Angolan authorities, they put at risk all the efforts and progress made in the Luanda Process towards the conflict's peaceful resolution.
They point out that this could have unforeseen consequences for regional security if not immediately resolved.
He therefore called on the parties to the conflict to respect human rights, international humanitarian laws and protect civilians.
They further requested that they safeguard the integrity and security of personnel from the Enhanced Ad Hoc Verification Mechanism (EAM-R) deployed in Goma, North Kivu, as part of Angola's facilitation efforts.
Regarding the Luanda process, the ambassador highlighted the significant progress made in its implementation, highlighting the mediation and peace efforts undertaken by the Angola head of State.
He highlighted that these initiatives contributed to the declaration of the August 4th, 2024's ceasefire, the Adoption of the Harmonized Plan for the Neutralization of the FDLR and the Disengagement of Forces/Lifting of Security Measures for the Defense of Rwanda.
They also contributed to the EAM-R's Operationalization on Nov 5, 2024; the Adoption of the Concept of Operations (CONOPs) and the Signing of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Govt of Angola and MONUSCO, on the 23rd of this same month, to support EAM-R's land operations.
He clarified that the only pending issue to finalize and consolidate the Draft Peace Agreement is related to the divergence regarding the resolution of the M-23 issue, which, according to the diplomat, was the basis for the postponement of the Angola-DRC-Rwanda tripartite Summit, scheduled for for last year's Dec 15th, in the Angolan capital.
The Summit would bring together Head of State Félix Tshisekedi, (DRC) and Paul Kagame (Rwanda).
He noted that, as part of his unwavering commitment to continue consultations to advance the Luanda Process, President João Lourenço sent a message to his Rwandan counterpart, Paul Kagame, on Dec 18, which was delivered by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Tete António.
At the conclusion of his speech, Ambassador Francisco da Cruz highlighted that, according to the Angolan President, the conflict and security challenges in the East of DRC have no military solution.
“Therefore, he urges the parties to return to the negotiating table immediately”; he stressed.
He encouraged all parties to avoid any actions or rhetoric that could further escalate tensions, including provocative language or public trigger statements. He stressed that this makes diplomatic efforts to reach a lasting solution to this long-prevailing conflict counterproductive.
The UN Security Council meeting on the situation in the DRC included interventions by the Minister of State, Foreign Affairs, International Cooperation and Francophonie of the DRC, Thérèse Kayikwamba Wagner, and the Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations, Jean-Pierre Lacroix.
The Special Representative of the Secretary-General in the DRC and Head of the Stabilization Mission, Bintou Keita, and the Deputy Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Deputy Coordinator of Emergency Assistance and members of the body, Joyce Msuya, also took the floor.
SC/CF/DOJ
