Mushikiwabo reiterates Rwanda’s efforts to end Congo conflict

Foreign Affairs Minister: Louise Mushikiwabo

The Minister of Foreign Affairs Louise Mushikiwabo has reiterated Rwanda’s backing for the UN peace process designed to end decades of conflict and instability in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Addressing a UN Security Council debate chaired by US Secretary of State John Kerry, Minister Mushikiwabo said that time for the practical action that will bring peace to the Eastern DRC.
“The Framework of Hope, along with regional peace efforts, offers a realistic path to lasting peace and security. There has been more than enough grandstanding by unaccountable actors who seek profit and publicity from the region’s misery,” said Mushikiwabo.
While endorsing Secretary Kerry’s Presidential Statement on the Great Lakes Regional Framework, Mushikiwabo said that Rwanda would have liked to see more support of regional initiatives such as the peace talks at Kampala sponsored by the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region (ICGLR).
“Rwanda’s future prospects are inextricably tied to the outcomes of the peace process,” Mushikiwabo told international diplomats and senior government officials who converged on the UN’s New York headquarters for Secretary Kerry’s inaugural appearance as Security Council President.
“Let me put it in the clearest possible terms: in order to secure long-term peace and prosperity for Rwanda into the future, we need a peaceful and prosperous DRC.
As long as conditions persist that allow more than thirty rebel groups to roam Eastern DRC with impunity — or as long as men and boys see nothing in their futures beyond crime, violence and conflict — such a transformation will remain beyond reach.”
Mushikiwabo outlined ways Rwanda has begun implementing recommendations contained in the Peace and Security Framework conceived by UN Secretary-General Ban-Ki Moon and overseen by Special Envoy for the Great Lakes, Mary Robinson.
These include; Disarmament of M23 fighters who have crossed into Rwanda as a result of infighting in March this year, as well as reporting sanctioned high ranking officers.
Rwanda has also cooperated with UN agencies to accommodate roughly 70,000 Congolese nationals who have sought refuge in Rwanda as a result of instability in the Kivus.
There have been efforts to support to the deployment of the Intervention Brigade to allow MONUSCO to carry out its Protection of Civilians responsibility.
There have also been efforts to boost regional cooperation through enhanced economic integration and tackling the exploitation of natural resources, including the seizure of 8.4 tons of smuggled minerals which are being to DRC authorities.

Mushikiwabo urged all parties to adhere to the Peace, Security, and Cooperation Framework, saying that after nearly two decades of armed conflict in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.