Increased Fighting in Democratic Republic of Congo Exacerbating Security Woes Threatening Regional Conflagration, Special Envoy Warns Security Council
The security situation in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo is deteriorating as fighting escalates between the 23 March Movement (M23) rebel group and the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (FARDC), and that country trades accusations with neighbouring Rwanda over alleged support for proxies in the ongoing conflict, the UN’s top official in the region warned the Security Council today.
Strained relations between Rwanda and Burundi, which closed its borders with Rwanda in January, are also compromising progress made since 2020, said Xia Huang, Special Envoy of the Secretary-General for the Great Lakes Region, briefing the 15-member organ on implementation of the peace, security and cooperation framework for the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the region over the past six months, as laid out in the Secretary-General’s report (document S/2024/278).
“We must urgently increase our efforts at de-escalation and decrease tensions so as to avoid regional conflagration,” Mr. Huang said, welcoming Angolan President João Manuel Gonçalves Lourenço’s political and diplomatic efforts to keep Kinshasa and Kigali engaged in the Luanda process, a regional initiative aimed at normalizing relations between the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Rwanda.
Outlining his efforts to promote dialogue and support both the Luanda process and the Nairobi process — another regional initiative under the auspices of the East African Community — he cited his joint mission to Kinshasa and Kigali with the International Contact Group of the Great Lakes Region (ICGLR). Last week, he worked with the African Union and the UN Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN-Women) in Nairobi to mobilize women leaders and experts in the region to discuss how to support peace processes there.
Joyce Msuya, Assistant Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Deputy Emergency Relief Coordinator, said that when she visited the Democratic Republic of the Congo in February 2024, she was struck by the scale and depth of the immense humanitarian crisis. The country is “the most food insecure country in the world” and its eastern part is “today one of the most dangerous places in the world to be a woman or a girl”, she reported, citing a spike in reported cases of gender-based violence. Just 16 per cent of the $2.6 billion required to reach 8.7 million people in need in 2024 has been funded, she said, stressing: “The people of DRC are astonishingly resilient. But they are being pushed to the brink of catastrophe by overwhelming challenges. They need our support.”
Likewise, Vaweka Pétronille, Coordinator of Women Engaged for Peace in Africa, said that nearly 30 years of violence and mass displacement combined with the lack of protection for civilian populations — particularly women whose bodies had become “objects of unspeakable suffering, targeted with mutilation, rape and other forms of unimaginable violence, often perpetrated in front of their families” — has plunged eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo into a state of chronic insecurity. She called for creation of an international monitoring mechanism to guarantee the continuation of peace processes in the Great Lakes region, stressing: “It is imperative not to export the war that we do not want at home to others.”
In the ensuing discussion, several Council members also expressed concern over the deteriorating humanitarian situation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the illicit exploitation of the region’s natural resources, underscoring the importance of implementing the Luanda and Nairobi processes and advancing dialogue.
On that, Esmeralda Mendonça, Angola’s Secretary of State for External Relations, highlighted that her country’s President João Manuel Gonçalves Lourenço has engaged in diplomatic initiatives to reduce political tensions and brought together the Presidents of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Rwanda at the margins of the Summit of Heads of State and Government of the African Union in Addis Ababa in February.
Some delegates encouraged enhancing women’s participation in peacebuilding, with the representative of Switzerland stressing that “for peace to be established and sustained, women need to be at the frontlines in all political processes” and their leadership is key in preventing climate change-related conflicts. “While women in the region are particularly affected by natural disasters, they are also actors with a sound understanding of mitigation strategies,” she added.
Sierra Leone’s delegate, also speaking for Algeria, Guyana and Mozambique, joined other speakers in demanding the end of any further advances by M23 and for armed groups and their supporters to immediately cease hostilities. Noting the solidarity shown by the region’s countries in hosting refugees, he also encouraged the international community to continue providing humanitarian aid to the people in the Great Lakes region.
Likewise, the representative of the United States, the largest donor to the humanitarian response in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, providing over $294 million so far in fiscal year 2024, urged other countries’ financial support. Noting that Rwanda's destabilizing actions “have pushed the region even closer to war,” he warned that attacks against UN peacekeepers may constitute a war crime under international law and urged Rwanda to halt all attacks against the UN Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO).
Rejecting that claim that Rwanda attacked MONUSCO peacekeepers as “completely irresponsible, far-fetched and cooked up”, Rwanda’s delegate stressed that his country does not have a presence in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The region “continues to see the lack of political will from Kinshasa”, he said, sounding the alarm over the growing hate speech and the acts of ethnic cleansing in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo.
The representative of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, stressing that Rwanda’s “intoxicating obsession with the abundant strategic resources lying beneath the soil of my country has led it to lose all sense of reason,” said that it has blocked the peace initiatives to gain time to build a zone of influence. He also observed that Wazalendo fighters should not be considered a negative force but Congolese patriots, “youths who have suffered from the horrors of war.”
Briefings
XIA HUANG, Special Envoy of the Secretary-General for the Great Lakes Region, briefed on the Secretary-General’s latest report on implementation of the peace, security and cooperation framework for the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the region (document S/2024/278). He cited exacerbated tensions between that country and Rwanda due to repeated clashes between the 23 March Movement (M23) and the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (FARDC), including the rhetoric of confrontation between the two countries based on reciprocal accusations. Tensions between Burundi and Rwanda in the east of the Democratic Republic of the Congo are compromising progress made since 2020. “We must urgently increase our efforts at de-escalation and decrease tensions so as to avoid regional conflagration,” he stressed. To that end, he welcomed political and diplomatic efforts of Angola’s President João Lourenco, which are allowing Presidents Félix Tshisekedi of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Paul Kagame of Rwanda to remain engaged in the Luanda process.
Highlighting his work with international partners, he said he carried out a joint mission to Kinshasa and Kigali with the International Contact Group of the Great Lakes Region (ICGLR). In support of regional initiatives, his Office continues to facilitate the activities of the Contact and Coordination Group and its operational cell to neutralize foreign armed groups in the east of the Democratic People’s Republic through non-military means. The success of the repatriation of Burundian combatants operating in South Kivu could be an impetus for a positive dynamic in the region,” he added. Further, on 17 April in Nairobi — along with the African Union and the UN Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN-Women) — he mobilized women leaders and experts from a few countries in the region to discuss how to support peace processes there. Underscoring the need for including women in the Luanda and Nairobi processes, he said they must play a full role in the peace talks.
Turning to natural resources, he welcomed that on 28 November 2023 Uganda launched a regional mechanism for certification of certain minerals, joining the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Rwanda, Burundi and the United Republic of Tanzania who are already implementing this principal ICGLR tool. He also commended the partner countries in the region on the other end of the mineral supply chain for supporting these efforts by revising and aligning their guidelines in the area with ICGLR’s norms. He reported that the signature countries, during the Technical Support Committee held on 1 and 2 February, analysed the recommendation for the revitalization of the Framework for Peace, Security and Cooperation of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Region.
To ensure that these recommendations come into force, he held a meeting with the African Union, ICGLR and the South African Development Community (SADC) on 15 April in Nairobi, where several initiatives were agreed upon to enable support in resolving the crisis and implementing the Framework Agreement. As well as increasing coordination and information exchange, the participants committed to carrying out more joint missions in the region. The Heads of State of the region plan to endorse the proposals made and provide further guidance for the twelfth High-Level Meeting of the Regional Mechanism Follow-Up to the Addis Ababa Framework Agreement, which will be hosted in Uganda. To that end, he said he intends soon to visit Kampala to discuss this important event with Ugandan authorities.
JOYCE MSUYA, Assistant Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Deputy Emergency Relief Coordinator, said that when she visited the Democratic Republic of the Congo in February 2024, she was struck by the scale and depth of the immense humanitarian crisis, which has since deteriorated further. The country is “the most food insecure country in the world,” she said, noting that nearly one in four Congolese — or 23.4 million people — are experiencing acute hunger and more than 7.2 million people are internally displaced. Between December 2023 and March 2024 alone, the latter increased by an alarming 700,000 people. Some 280,000 people have arrived in Minova in South Kivu since early February, fleeing fighting in North Kivu, where armed fighting, looting of health facilities, damage to schools, and severe restrictions on humanitarian access have exacerbated the plight of the displaced. As of March, more than 100 displacement sites have been created in and around Goma, the largest city in North Kivu, hosting an overwhelming 630,000 people. In Ituri, intercommunal violence has increased, with almost 200 attacks recorded since the start of 2024, forcing hundreds of thousands of people from their homes.
Across these three provinces, the presence of the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO) bases has until now provided a degree of protection for civilians, she said, adding that humanitarian organizations are deeply concerned about the potential impact of MONUSCO’s ongoing withdrawal. “Eastern DRC is today one of the most dangerous places in the world to be a woman or a girl,” she said, citing a spike in reported cases of gender-based violence from 40,000 cases in 2021, to 78,000 in 2022 and to 123,000 in 2023, marking a 300 per cent jump. The real numbers are likely far higher. The conflict has also significantly increased the dangers for children, including their recruitment by armed groups, abduction, killing, maiming and sexual violence. Today, 37 per cent of girls in the country are forcibly married before the age of 18. Furthermore, at least 772 schools closed in 2023, depriving more than 300,000 girls and boys of education. The repercussions of the conflict extend well beyond the country’s borders. Around 1 million people have now sought refuge in neighbouring countries, with more than half in Uganda.
From 16 June to 31 December 2023, UN Emergency Relief Coordinator Martin Griffiths activated a system-wide scale-up of the humanitarian response for the three provinces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, with nearly 4 million people receiving humanitarian assistance in the second half of that year. As of February 2024, aid organizations had already reached 2.6 million people with some form of support, with local women’s groups playing a key role. “But let me be clear: the humanitarian operation is dangerously overstretched,” she said. Noting that just 16 per cent of the $2.6 billion required to reach 8.7 million people in need in 2024 has been funded, she asserted: “The people of DRC are astonishingly resilient. But they are being pushed to the brink of catastrophe by overwhelming challenges. They need our support.”
VAWEKA PÉTRONILLE, Coordinator of Women Engaged for Peace in Africa, testified about the alarming situation faced by women in the Great Lakes Region, particularly in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Over the past 25 years, she has witnessed unspeakable atrocities: Those who escaped horrific death, faced destitution, hunger and disease. “Women’s bodies, once sacred, became objects of unspeakable suffering, targeted with mutilation, rape and other forms of unimaginable violence, often perpetrated in front of their families,” she said. “I saw babies crying over the mutilated bodies of their mothers and babies feeding at the breasts of their dead mothers.” Nearly 7 million people were displaced, the main victims being women, girls and children, she said, adding that no humanitarian programme can rectify the magnitude of this catastrophe. Nearly 30 years of violence, atrocities and mass displacement, orchestrated by both national and foreign armed groups, combined with the lack of protection for civilian populations, has plunged the east of Democratic Republic of the Congo into a state of chronic insecurity.
“Our communities have been grappling with endless conflicts, manipulated and incited to kill other communities among ourselves for the benefit of those who plunder our natural resources,” she said. “Our telephones, our computers, our electric cars and other electric gadget are directly tied to the suffering and the deaths of the people of the Great Lakes of Africa.” The women from the Great Lakes Region are not merely victims. They are actors engaged in the quest for peace and security, she said, adding that women have succeeded in reducing the activity of armed groups and have helped reconcile communities in conflict. She recounted the story of “Rachel,” a 30-year-old woman from Ituri Province, who was abducted, held captive and raped over the course of months. Left dying on the side of the road, she eventually received care and later joined a mediation unit for armed groups, seeking peace so that other women and girls could avoid her ordeal. “Rachel’s story illustrates the resilience of Congolese women,” she said.
She called for support for lasting peace and security in the region and the full enforcement of efforts “to transform blood minerals into minerals for life” through a fair trade where all parties benefit. She also called for creation of an international monitoring mechanism to guarantee compliance with commitments and the continuation of peace processes in the Great Lakes region; increased support from MONUSCO, the Special Envoy’s Office, the African Union and the ICGLR to engage and involve women in the peace processes; support for the implementation of the ICGLR regional action plan on Council resolution 1325 (2000); and substantial support in strengthening technical and economic capacities to guarantee lasting peace and security in the Great Lakes region. “It is imperative not to export the war that we do not want at home to others,” she said.
Statements
The representative of France said the three cardinal principles of the Framework Agreement for peace and stability in the region — not to support armed groups, respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of neighbouring States, and neither to shelter nor protect persons accused of crimes and violations of international law — must be respected by all parties. There can be no military solution to this crisis and only the implementation of commitments assumed through regional processes, particularly the Luanda and Nairobi processes, will help to set the stage for lasting peace, she stressed. She welcomed the Congolese and Rwandan foreign ministerial meeting on 21 March in Luanda and encouraged the parties to continue to rekindle dialogue. She also commended the Congolese proposal for a plan to demobilize and disarm the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR). She urged an end to hate speech targeting certain communities, particularly the Tutsis, and encouraged the coordination efforts undertaken under the auspices of the African Union through the quadripartite format.
The representative of Sierra Leone, also speaking for Algeria, Guyana and Mozambique, condemned in the strongest terms all acts of violence and abuses against civilians by armed groups and encouraged the international community to continue providing humanitarian aid to the people in the Great Lakes region. He noted the solidarity shown by the region’s countries in hosting refugees. He demanded the end of any further advances by M23 and called for their withdrawal from the occupied territories. “We look forward to the convening of an inclusive Inter-Congolese dialogue stemming from the Nairobi process,” he said, reaffirming the Joint Communiqué of the United Nations-African Union Joint Task Force on Peace and Security issued at its Twenty-Third Consultative Meeting on 16 April. He emphasized the need for coordination and complementarity between political and military initiatives in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, as highlighted in the recently adopted Presidential Statement, among other communiqués.
Stressing that the Peace, Security and Cooperation Framework for the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Region remains a strategic mechanism for resolving the conflict, he welcomed the mediation efforts by President João Lourenço of Angola and former President Uhuru Kenyatta of Kenya. He commended the efforts of the region’s countries to deepen bilateral and diplomatic engagements through Joint Permanent Commission meetings and high-level visits, also welcoming the recent request by signatory countries to the Technical Support Committee to conduct an independent assessment. “We believe that this will be a good basis to revitalize the PSC-F [Peace, Security and Cooperation Framework],” he said, urging the signatory countries to cooperate in judicial matters.
The representative of Ecuador expressed concern over the deteriorating humanitarian situation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, which requires immediate attention from the international community. The response must be accompanied by actions conducive to peacebuilding by addressing the root causes of conflict that facilitate the path to peace. In that regard, Quito welcomes the advice of the Peacebuilding Commission that implementing the relevant elements of the Framework Agreement can contribute to the building of more just societies. Coordinated actions with the UN system are fundamental to the most important regional issues, such as the management of the sustainable and transparent development of natural resources, the promotion of human rights and the implementation of the peace and security agendas for women and youth.
The representative of the Russian Federation noted that the situation in the Great Lakes Region in Africa continues to deteriorate because of the negative security crisis in the eastern provinces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, expressing concern that the conflict will escalate further with the participation of the M23 armed groups. “We are particularly concerned by the tense relations between Kinshasa and Kigali which have gone hand-in-hand with growing tensions,” she said. She noted with regret that the escalation of tensions in the east of the Democratic Republic of the Congo has resulted in heightened tension among other regional States as well. “There is an important need to prevent the further deterioration of the architecture for international assistance and cooperation in the region,” she said, adding: “The military operations are also used as a smokescreen to cover for the illegal exploitation and smuggling of Congolese natural resources.”
The representative of the United Kingdom expressed his deep concern over the worsening conflict in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo and the deteriorating humanitarian situation which has resulted in the large-scale displacement of people and high levels of sexual violence, including in camps housing internally displaced persons. MONUSCO’s efforts remain critical, he said, urging all parties to immediately end attacks on peacekeeping troops. He also noted with concern increased tensions between the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Rwanda and between Rwanda and Burundi. “We have called on all external actors to end their support for armed groups in the DRC,” he said, adding that the United Kingdom has engaged Kinshasa and Kigali on the need for dialogue, urging them to use their influence to de-escalate tensions and seek a cessation of hostilities.
The representative of the United States, noting the weak international response to the UN humanitarian appeal, said his country is the largest donor to the humanitarian response in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and has provided over $294 million so far in fiscal year 2024, and urged countries’ financial support. He called on armed groups and their supporters to immediately cease hostilities, uphold international human rights law, protect civilians, hold their members accountable for human rights abuses and ensure unhindered humanitarian access to those in need. “Rwanda’s destabilizing actions in eastern DRC [Democratic Republic of the Congo] have pushed the region even closer to war,” he stressed, calling on Rwanda to cease its support for M23 and withdraw from the territory of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Rwanda must halt all attacks against MONUSCO positions and equipment, he said, stressing that: “Such conduct by a major UN peacekeeping contributor is unacceptable.” Echoing the Secretary-General, he warned that attacks against UN peacekeepers may constitute a war crime under international law.
The representative of Slovenia expressed support for the revitalization and strengthening of the Cooperation Framework and warned of the risk of undermining this process by inflammatory rhetoric. She welcomed the leadership of regional actors in promoting diplomatic solutions, stressing: “Support of any kind to armed groups must be halted.” Voicing concern over the illicit exploitation of natural resources, she encouraged the countries in the region to implement the ICGCR Regional Mineral Certification Mechanism. Turning to the adverse impacts of climate change, she said that implementing conflict-sensitive climate action is essential for promoting stability and safety. She further condemned continued violations and abuses of human rights, including shelling, sexual violence and exploitation in and around displacement camps, underscoring that “ensuring accountability is imperative”.
The representative of Switzerland said that “for peace to be established and sustained, women need to be at the frontlines in all political processes”, adding that much remains to be done to ensure their full participation, particularly in the Nairobi and Luanda processes. Calling for greater cooperation between the actors in the region to defuse tensions and reduce the risk of a regional military confrontation, she underscored the crucial importance for the countries concerned to pursue diplomatic measures and respect their commitments. Climate change is hurting the security situation in the Great Lakes region, she said, stressing the key role of women’s leadership in preventing climate change-related conflicts. While women in the region are particularly affected by natural disasters, they are also actors with a sound understanding of mitigation strategies. For its part, her country has organized Great Lakes retreats with the Office of the Special Envoy for several years now.
The representative of Japan expressed regret over the continued and increasing violence which has further aggravated the humanitarian crisis in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo over the last six months. Tensions have heightened between the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Rwanda and now between Rwanda and Burundi. “We have deep concern over the growing possibility of another all-out regional conflict,” she said, adding that the signatory countries must fully implement the Framework Agreement. “It remains vital to bring sustainable peace and stability in the region,” she said, noting the importance of the commitment to not tolerate nor provide any kind of support to armed groups and to respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of neighboring countries. “Ongoing support to armed groups only exacerbates instability on the ground and adds misery to people’s lives, especially women and children,” she said. “It must be stopped immediately.”
The representative of China warned that the persistent turmoil in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo over the recent period will erode all parties’ confidence in advancing the peace process and jeopardize hard-won results. He voiced hope that all parties will seize the opportunity at the upcoming Summit of the Regional Oversight Mechanism to reaffirm their commitment to respect sovereignty and territorial integrity, non-interference in internal affairs and not support armed groups. He encouraged regional countries to implement the Luanda and Nairobi processes and urged armed groups to immediately cease violence. Differences should be resolved through dialogue and the use of military means should be avoided, he added. Pointing to poverty and underdevelopment as the root causes of the protracted unrest in the Great Lakes, he urged the international community to help countries in the region to address development challenges, scale up humanitarian assistance and build national capacity for growth.
The representative of the Republic of Korea expressed support for the call of the African Union Peace and Security Council for a second Quadripartite Summit and follow-up actions from the inaugural Summit held in June 2023 with the participation of ICGLR, SADC, the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS) and East African Community. He encouraged cooperation among the Contact and Coordination Group’s members to implement non-military measures for demobilization and repatriation of foreign combatants, also urging the signatories to deepen the Great Lakes Judicial Cooperation Network. Voicing concern over the deteriorating humanitarian situation, including sexual and gender-based violence, he stressed that humanitarian assistance must be accessible for the needs of women and girls. “Enhancing women’s participation in national and local political processes is crucial in making progress towards genuine peacebuilding,” he added.
The representative of Malta, Council President for April, said that Member States must scale up funding and protection for women-led organizations so they are able to reach those most in need. She condemned foreign military support provided to M23, urging the parties to address their grievances through negotiations. Commending the leadership of Angolan President João Lourenço, she called for a prompt meeting between the Presidents of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Rwanda to foster reconciliation. Further, she urged the facilitators of Luanda and Nairobi processes to appoint women mediators and gender advisers and to leverage the African Women Leaders Network. “Women possess invaluable perspectives that have yet to be fully recognized,” she added. Underscoring the need for demobilization and repatriation, she also called for enhanced collaboration through the Great Lakes Judicial Cooperation Network.
The representative of Rwanda, noting that his country is commemorating the thirtieth remembrance of the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi, said that the effects of that tragedy continue to have an impact on the situation in the Great Lakes region, with genocidal extremists reorganizing in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and spreading genocide ideology throughout the region, specifically in that country’s eastern provinces targeting the Congolese Tutsi. Citing figures from the Government of that country, he said that more than 250 local and 14 foreign armed groups are operating on its territory. The FARDC provides the genocidal FDLR and its splinter groups with military, logistical, financial and political support. This is a serious concern to his country as the FDLR poses “a direct and existential threat” to Rwanda’s security and territorial integrity.
Rejecting an allegation that Rwanda attacked MONUSCO peacekeepers as “completely irresponsible, far-fetched and cooked up”, he stressed that Rwanda does not have a presence in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. On the contrary, the Council has material information that certain MONUSCO forces have withdrawn from their positions because of constant attacks and shelling by the FARDC, Wazalendo and the SADC Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. His country has signed the Peace, Security and Cooperation Framework and supported other regional efforts, such as the Nairobi and Luanda processes, towards ending the conflict in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. But the region continues to see the lack of political will from Kinshasa. He also sounded the alarm over the growing hate speech and atrocities targeting the Congolese Tutsi community in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, stressing that these acts of ethnic cleansing should not be overlooked by the Council.
The representative of the Democratic Republic of the Congo said the armed aggression in the east that his country is a victim of has led to the displacement of over 7 million Congolese people. “These statistics are sickening,” he said, adding that over 70 per cent are women and girls. “These Congolese women are deprived of their basic vital needs and have lost all human dignity. Many of them have been subjected to rape, sexual violence and other cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment. This situation has exacted a high human price: 15 million deaths. “It is the work of a neighboring country, Rwanda, whose intoxicating obsession with the abundant strategic resources lying beneath the soil of my country has led it to lose all sense of reason,” he said. For this reason, the peace initiatives taken at the regional and international levels have remained a dead letter.
Rwanda has deliberately blocked the implementation of these processes to gain time to build a zone of influence in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, which it wants to transform into a colony for exploitation and settlement from which to control Congolese institutions, he said, adding that these actions are unacceptable and violate the tenets of the Addis Ababa Framework Agreement. Peace and the restoration of dignity for Congolese women remain key priorities for the Congolese authorities, he said, adding that the Democratic Republic of the Congo has signed up to the women, peace and security agenda, enshrined in resolution 1325 (2000). He also responded to earlier remarks by the Rwandan delegate by saying that over 15 million Congolese people have died since the Rwandan genocide which, he said, only claimed the lives of 800,000 people. Furthermore, he said the Wazalendo fighters should not be considered a negative force but Congolese patriots, “youths who have suffered from the horrors of war”.
ESMERALDA MENDONÇA, Secretary of State for External Relations of Angola, called on States and other relevant actors to exert their political influence on the M23 and other negative forces in the region and push for the immediate cessation of all hostilities and reinforced commitments to peace. “The Republic of Angola remains committed to actively contributing to reaching a political and diplomatic solution aimed at achieving sustainable peace in the DRC [Democratic Republic of the Congo] and the region,” she emphasized. Angolan President João Manuel Gonçalves Lourenço has been engaged in diplomatic initiatives aimed at promoting peace and stability, reducing political tensions and re-establishing an environment of trust between the parties concerned through the Luanda and Nairobi processes. On the sidelines of the Summit of Heads of State and Government of the African Union in Addis Ababa in February, he called for a mini-summit and brought together the Presidents of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Rwanda, among other leaders in the region, she said, further detailing his initiatives towards sustainable peace. She urged the implementation of the Luanda Roadmap, which provides clear paths for a ceasefire, disarmament, withdrawal, and demobilization of armed groups.
Achieving lasting peace in the region requires the effective implementation of the decisions resulting from the Luanda and Nairobi processes, redoubling of diplomatic efforts to promote and deepen direct dialogue between the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Rwanda, and the resumption of joint verification mechanisms for the normalization of political relations between the two countries, and complete suppression of support to negative forces that threaten the stability of the States in the region. Also needed are implementation of a monitored ceasefire, accompanied by a process of disengagement of forces, and revitalized regional and international partnership for assistance and support. The relatively long ceasefire period in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo for much of 2022 and 2023 was the result of combined coordination efforts between all the relevant parties in the quadripartite process, she pointed out, calling for a second Quadripartite Summit, as soon as possible, to monitor the progress made in the implementation of the commitments made at the first one.