AU resolves to use dialogue to end conflicts

NAIROBI — African leaders ended the two-day special International Conference on the Great Lakes (ICGLR) region with a raft of measures aimed at ending ongoing conflicts in the region.The summit which ended in Nairobi on Wednesday evening resolved to use dialogue as a means of ending protracted conflicts in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Central African Republic and between Sudan and South Sudan.

“The summit reaffirms support for the mission of the Intervention Brigade in order to eradicate all the negative forces in accordance with the resolutions of the ICGLR and Resolution 2098 of the United Nations Security Council,” the leaders said in a joint communique.

The leaders who evaluated the evolution of the security situation in the east of the DRC resolved to support the Kampala dialogue between the DRC government and M23, exhorting the two parties to conclude them as soon as possible.

The two-day summit ended in Nairobi on Wednesday night attended by the 11 African countries that signed on to the accord, formally known as the Peace, Security and Cooperation Framework for the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Great Lakes region.

Since mid-May, the eastern DRC has seen repeated attacks by the M23 rebel group against national troop (FARDC) positions in an apparent attempt to advance on Goma and neighbouring Sake.

The M23, along with other armed groups, has clashed repeatedly with the FARDC over the past year with the rebels briefly occupying Goma in November 2012.

The fighting, which recently dragged in a group of Uganda-based rebels, has displaced more than 100 000 people, exacerbating an ongoing humanitarian crisis in the region which includes 2.6 million internally displaced people (IDPs) and 6.4 million in need of food and emergency aid.

The summit encouraged Rwanda and the DRC to continue with their bilateral discussions in order to strengthen mutual confidence and cooperation between the two states.

On the framework agreement, the summit expressed optimism that the ICGLR, the UN and the African Development Bank would mobilise funds to support peace and security programmes in the DRC and within the region in general.

The summit accepted Kenya’s and Sudan’s request to become integral parties to the UN Framework Agreement in order to support the ongoing efforts that will contribute towards the restoration of peace, stability, development and unity in the region.

On the security situation of other ICGLR member states, the summit urged the Joint Intelligence Fusion Center to take appropriate action on the situation prevailing between Sudan and Uganda and encouraged them to maintain the momentum of the agreement they signed regarding bilateral and peaceful resolutions of their differences.

The summit decided to take appropriate measures to contain the situation in the eastern DRC and condemned the recent attacks by rebels that have caused deterioration of humanitarian situation in the region.

In his closing remarks, the summit host, President Uhuru Kenyatta, called on regional leaders to embrace peace and work closely to remove barriers that hinder the region’s economic development.

“I look forward to our working together in the Great Lakes region to build infrastructure for peace, as well as trade and investment. A prosperous region can deliver better lives and lasting peace to its citizens,” Kenyatta said.

He pointed out that a new approach was essential to allow movement of goods, services, knowledge, experience and labour within the region without any obstacle, stressing that the region must adopt a new way of doing things in line with the aspirations of the people.

“Our people deserve better. They want, expect and deserve a region at peace with itself and its neighbours. They deserve a region whose abundant resources are directed solely towards their social and economic growth and development,” Kenyatta said.

He said the current leaders have a responsibility to ensure progress is made to break the vicious cycle of violence witnessed in parts of the region.
Kenyatta said leaders must transform the region from despair, pain and hopelessness to a region of renewal, hope, innovation, economic growth and prosperity. He stressed that the dignity of the people must be restored.

In a message to a high-level international summit on the situation in this strife-ridden region of Africa delivered by Mary Robinson, his special envoy to the region, Ban said the Summit of the Heads of State and Government of the ICGLR presents a “significant opportunity” to build on momentum generated by a six-month-old peace agreement which has been dubbed “the framework of hope.”

“I reiterate my call for all the signatories to the Framework to jointly and individually respect their commitments, including neither tolerating nor providing assistance nor support to armed groups,” said the UN chief in his message. — Xinhua