Kinshasa, February 1st, 2023(CPA)- President Félix Tshisekedi has called on his counterparts from SADC member countries to show more solidarity with the security situation in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, in his speech to the SADC Troika on Tuesday.
« The security situation in the east is very serious. It is a humanitarian tragedy, » said Felix Tshisekedi, SADC’s current president.
« The DRC has been engaged in the electoral process since 24 December. In a fortnight’ time, registration will have to start in the east of the country where instability is preventing the CENI from working and the population from registering because of this situation, » the Head of State deplored.
The Heads of State and Government of the SADC troika, meeting at this extraordinary summit in Windhoek (Namibia), condemned the upsurge in violence caused by Rwanda’s aggression in the eastern part of the DRC.
According to a source in the Congolese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the President of the Republic of Namibia and chairman of the Troika body, Hate Geingob, stressed the need to put in place strategies to provide effective and sustainable solutions to the insecurity in this part of the DRC.
« The time has come to put in place strategies to find sustainable solutions to the security and economic challenges in eastern DRC, » he said.
For his part, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa welcomed the extension of MONUSCO’s mandate, before calling on the African Union to play a full role in this crisis.
The Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Christophe Lutundula, who represented President Tshisekedi at the meeting, whose objective is « the search for peace in the region », expressed the hope that the decision to be taken at the meeting would be « clear and unambiguous ».
« There should not be a new peace plan, but rather the existing one should be implemented. The cessation of hostilities and the withdrawal without delay of Rwandan troops under cover of the M23 territories are the sine qua non condition for the return of peace in eastern DRC, » said the head of Congolese diplomacy.
