Presidents Sassou-N’Guesso, Joseph Kabila and Paul Kagame during the DRC peace Summit
The Minister of Foreign Affairs Louise Mushikiwabo has warned against ignoring of the root cause of the conflict in the DRC and said that the departure of Gen Bosco Ntaganda does not signal the end to the long standing DRC problem.
Mushikiwabo said this from the Republic of Congo where regional presidents were meeting to further discuss the implementation of all the outcomes of the various meetings and more importantly the framework that was signed last month in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
Speaking to the press, Mushikwabo pointed out that Ntaganda’s desire to face justice is a step in the right direction but the departure of one man in a country that has had so many difficulties in so many years does not signal the end of the problems in DRC. “We believe more work needs to be done,” said Mushikiwabo.
The meeting which President Paul Kagame attended in Oyo, Northern Republic of Congo, was also attended by President Kabila of the DRC and President Museveni of Uganda on the invitation of President Sassou-N’Guesso.
At the meeting, the Heads of State discussed ongoing regional efforts towards ending conflict in Eastern DRC and establishing security in the region.
Speaking at the end of the five hour closed-door meeting Mushikiwabo said that it was a very fruitful meeting.
“The Heads of State have decided to follow closely the implementation of all the outcomes of the various meetings and more importantly the framework all our countries signed last month in Addis Ababa.”
“This is a meeting that signals the kind of commitment and the efforts that our countries have engaged and will continue to engage in to make sure that we find peace in our region so we can continue working on the serious business of development.”
A communiqué issued at the end of the Oyo Summit pointed to both the peace negotiations in Kampala and the Peace Framework signed in Addis Ababa as essential to the progress of regional solutions:
“This summit is part of the ongoing international and regional efforts undertaken to bring stability to the eastern region of the Democratic Republic of Congo.
The Heads of State renewed their commitment to ensuring the implementation of the agreement and expressed the need for the ongoing peace negotiations in Kampala to lead to positive outcome without delay.”
With the new developments in the Central African Republic, the Heads of State also expressed their support for President Sassou-N’Guesso’s role as mediator in the conflict and called on all parties involved to respect the constitution and the dignity and life of all citizens of that country.