Luanda – Angola’s National Assembly Speaker, Carolina Cerqueira, held a meeting today, Wednesday, in Luanda, with a group of women from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), from whom she received information about the consequences of the armed conflict in the east of the country.
The women belong to the organization “Women's Synergy for Peace and Security in the DRC”.
On the occasion, Carolina Cerqueira expressed the solidarity of Angolan deputies with the populations that are victims of the armed conflict that has caused the destruction of social infrastructures, family disintegration, rape of women and children, as well as starvation for thousands of people.
During the meeting, she reaffirmed her commitment to advocating for peace in the DRC, highlighting the efforts of the Angolan Head of State to achieve this objective and the withdrawal of rebel forces from the territory of democratic Congo.
She said that national parliamentary platforms have developed intense parliamentary diplomacy in regional and international forums in favor of peace, security and stability in the region.
Through interparliamentary delegations, she said that Angolan deputies will continue to advocate for the promotion of peace in the DRC, a sister country with which Angola shares an extensive land border.
In turn, the head of the DRC women's delegation, Juliene Essanje, reported that the situation is deteriorating every day, perpetuating indescribable suffering for the entire Congolese population.
“The security situation in the eastern part of the DRC is critical. We have more than 10 million internally displaced people because of this conflict, where women, the elderly and children are dying of hunger,” she lamented.
Juliene Essange explained that, as a result of the armed conflict, the population is prevented from traveling to agricultural fields.
She also recognized the efforts made by the Angolan Head of State to restore peace in that territory in the region.
Crisis in DRC
The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has been facing security challenges in its eastern region for several years.
Despite peace efforts by the UN and the African Union, the situation remains unstable and dangerous, with constant violations of ceasefire agreements and human rights.
Several humanitarian organizations, such as the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), try to help the affected population by providing medical, food, financial and psychosocial assistance, as well as facilitating the restoration of family ties.
Within the framework of the Luanda Process, Angola received a mandate from the African Union to deal only with the M23 case, while Kenya must act on matters related to other rebel groups operating in that country.
Angola, within the scope of the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region (CIRGL), has been facilitating dialogue between the parties that allowed the adoption of the Luanda Roadmap on the pacification process in the eastern region of the DRC.
Within the framework of the Luanda Roadmap, the joint action plan for resolving the security crisis was adopted.
The joint plan envisages the cessation of hostilities, in general, and, in particular, of M23 attacks against the DRC Armed Forces.
It also establishes the cantonment and disarmament of the M23, the return of internally displaced people to their areas of origin, as well as the return of Congolese refugees in Rwanda to the DRC.MGA/ART/DOJ
