At the end of the 24th ordinary session of the Conference of Heads of State and Government of the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS) in which President Félix Tshisekedi took part in Equatorial Guinea on Saturday March 9, 2024, the Heads of this organization called on the Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda to resolve the conflict through diplomatic channels.
Without condemning Rwanda’s support for the M23 rebels or responding to the DRC’s request to sanction Rwanda, the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS) preferred to insist on the effective application of the Luanda road map to peacefully resolve the crisis in eastern DRC.
“The Conference was seriously concerned regarding the persistence of the security crisis in the East of the Democratic Republic of Congo, the continued increase in the number of internally displaced persons estimated at approximately more than 10 million people to be found throughout the Central African region. The Conference condemned the persistent activism of armed groups and terrorist movements in this region and demonstrates its solidarity with the government and people of the Democratic Republic of Congo,” said the final communiqué read by the president of the Community Commission. Economics of the States of Central Africa, Gilberto Da Piedade Verissimo.
And to continue:
“The Conference expressed its concern regarding the diplomatic tensions between the Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda. It calls on both Member States to exercise restraint and to favor peaceful means to resolve the disputes between them in accordance with the provisions of the relevant Community legal instruments on the subject as well as the provisions of the Luanda road map.
This position of the ECCAS is in line with the aspirations of the government of the Democratic Republic of Congo for the return of peace in a peaceful manner in its eastern part. Kinshasa continues to accuse Kigali of committing acts of sabotage in the implementation of the processes in Luanda under Joao Lourenço and Nairobi under Uhuru Kenyatta.
Meanwhile, violent clashes are reported on the ground between the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of Congo and the M23 rebels supported by Kigali. On the ground, despite calls for de-escalation, the M23 with the support of Kigali continue to advance, still occupying several localities in the province of North Kivu.
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2024-03-12 10:07:46
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