Luanda - The Peace and Security Council (PSC) of the African Union (AU) is holding an emergency ministerial session on Tuesday on the situation in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), with the participation of Angola, as acting chair of the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region (ICGLR), ANGOP has learnt.
The event taking place virtually, was requested urgently by the DRC following after the situation worsened in that country.
Since February 2023, Angola has been serving its fourth two-year term on the PSC, the AU's permanent decision-making body for conflict prevention, management and resolution, made up of 15 members.
In addition to a speech by Angola, the agenda includes addresses by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Côte d'Ivoire, Kacou Houadja Leon Adom, whose country chairs the PSC in January, and the Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace and Security, Bankole Adeoye.
The DRC and Rwanda, Tanzania, which chairs the SADC body, as well as Kenya, which leads the EAC, among others, will also address the meeting.
Angolan Head of State, João Lourenço, has already expressed his “deep concern” at the serious deterioration of the peace and security situation in the east of the DRC.
In a press release issued on Saturday , the Angolan president said the upsurge in actions and attacks perpetrated by Moviment 23 (M23) and the recent illegal occupation of the territories and towns of Sake and Minova reflect a dangerous escalation in this conflict.
The Angolan president said he strongly condemns and repudiates these irresponsible actions by M23 and its supporters.
The Head of State underlined that the conflict and security challenges in the east of the DRC do not have a military solution, and therefore calls on the parties to return to the negotiating table immediately.
A day later, during an emergency meeting of the United Nations Security Council in New York, Angola's permanent representative to the UN, Francisco da Cruz, reiterated President João Lourenço's firm commitment as a facilitator mandated by the African Union to help in the search for peace and security in the east of the DRC.
The diplomat highlighted “the remarkable progress in the implementation of the Luanda Process”, reiterating the need for a rapid and unconditional reduction of tension in the conflict and a genuine and renewed engagement of the parties to explore ways of overcoming the outstanding issues.
On the occasion, Burundi's representative said that the Luanda and Nairobi processes “established a clear roadmap for achieving a lasting ceasefire”. He called on the Council to demand an end to foreign interference and to act decisively to ensure that the DRC can fully exercise its sovereignty and restore peace.
Bintou Keita, Special Representative of the Secretary-General for the DRC and Head of MONUSCO called on DRC and Rwanda to continue political negotiations in the context of the Luanda Process.
He added that the resolution of the conflict in eastern DRC must be political, not military, and that the Luanda and Nairobi processes ‘remain viable paths to peace’.
The representative of the Republic of Korea called on Rwanda to cease its support for the group (M23) and urged Kinshasa and Kigali to return to dialogue and fully implement their commitments under the Luanda Process.
Thérèse Kayikwamba Wagner, the DRC's Minister for Foreign Affairs, International Cooperation and La Francophonie, denounced that “Rwanda is preparing to orchestrate carnage in broad daylight”, and that it is “clear that this crisis is directly linked to the economic plundering” of her country.
The DRC diplomat added that more than 150 tons of coltan (ore) are illegally extracted and transported to Rwanda every month, where they are fraudulently labeled for export, in addition to systematic attacks on peacekeepers, the assassination of the military governor of North Kivu on January 24 and the sabotage of the Luanda Process.
Meanwhile, Rwanda's representative stated that “the current crisis could have been avoided if the DRC government had demonstrated a genuine commitment to peace”.
According to the Rwandan representative, while the Luanda Process has reached “significant milestones”, including a ceasefire that entered into force on August 4, 2024, the government and the armed forces of the DRC decided to increase militarization in the east of the country in October 2024, . ADR/IZ/DAN/AMP
