DRC neighbours agree to peace plan

ADDIS ABABA – Eleven African countries signed a United Nations-drafted peace deal on Sunday to stabilise the troubled Central African country of DRC, where rebels allegedly backed by neighbouring countries last year threatened to oust the government.

Opening the agreement-signing meeting at the African Union headquarters in Addis Ababa, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said peace, security and co-operation framework for Congo would bring stability to the region.
“The signing ceremony is a significant even in itself. But it is only the beginning of a comprehensive approach that will require sustained engagement. The framework before you outlines commitments and oversight mechanisms which aim at addressing key national and regional issues,” Ban said in his speech. Congo, Rwanda, Burundi, Central African Republic, Angola, Uganda, South Sudan, South Africa, Tanzania, and the Republic of Congo signed the accord.
Congo’s neighbours collectively promised to not interfere in the internal affairs of the Congo. They also agreed to not tolerate or support armed groups. A UN report last year said that Rwanda and Uganda helped aid M23 rebels inside Congo. The two countries denied the allegations.
Rwanda’s President Paul Kagame was present at the signing and said the agreement is a new opportunity for Congo.
“The framework recognises that a holistic approach that addresses the multifaceted root causes is the only way to end instability. Any meaningful contribution toward lasting peace in the DRC and the Great Lake’s region has to abandon the self-defeating practice of selectivity in both memory and responsibility regarding the known, long standing causes of recurring conflict,” said Kagame.
The UN says DRC suffers from persistent violence by both local and foreign armed groups that use rape as a weapon. The conflict has displaced nearly two million people. The UN said it will undertake a review of the its peacekeeping force in Congo, known as Monusco, to better help the country’s government address security challenges. Ban said he would issue a special report on Congo and the Great Lakes region in coming days.
President Jacob Zuma welcomed the proposal to send more troops to DRC. But he said Congo’s government needs to undertake “far-reaching reforms” for a lasting solution.
“A heavy burden of responsibility falls on the government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and its neighbours. Theirs is the historic task of freeing the people of the DRC and the region from tortuous history of conflict and instability, and to introduce a new future offering democracy, peace, stability progress and prosperity,” said Zuma.
DRC President Joseph Kabila also vowed to advance decentralisation and expand social services across the nation. The deal calls for Kabila to soon put in place a national oversight mechanism in order to oversee the implementations of the commitments. The UN, AU, African Development Bank and other international groups have agreed to support the effort.
-Nampa-AP

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