Minister in the Presidency, Khumbudzo Ntshavheni, has issued an appeal for an immediate end to hostilities in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) – urging conflicting parties to honour their pledges for peace.
The Minister was delivering remarks at the Ad Hoc Summit of the Regional Oversight Mechanism of the Peace, Security and Cooperation Framework for the DRC and region.
“South Africa appeals to the conflicting parties in the DRC to demonstrate political will and selfless leadership that this occasion requires. The parties must fulfil their previous commitments to establish a permanent, effective and verifiable ceasefire; they must engage in inclusive dialogue that will lead to peace and reconciliation; and they must put the interest of the people of the DRC first.
“Peace will endure when the people of the DRC unite for the purpose of building one Congolese nation and redirect their collective efforts towards the economic development of the DRC and the region,” the Minister said.
Ntshavheni noted that conflict in the area continues despite the presence of a number of external peace efforts all “aimed primarily to deal with the scourge of armed conflicts and their impact on the people of the eastern DRC and its immediate region”.
“The actions of armed groups, particularly the M23 and FDLR [Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda], continue to undermine the PSC [Peace, Security and Cooperation] Framework and other ongoing peace processes.
“The territorial expansion of the M23 including the recent seizure of Uvira, the establishment of parallel administrations in captured and controlled areas, and the violation of human rights and the resultant humanitarian crisis, negate efforts towards peace and opportunities for regional economic development.”
The Minister told the gathering that the deadly conflict requires immediate action through genuine, inclusive dialogue among all parties.
“We must act as a collective to prevent any further regional instability. It is for this reason that South Africa strongly urges for the need to return to the basics. We need to ask and honestly answer the question of why, despite several agreements on the resolution of the eastern DRC security situation, are we failing to achieve peace and lasting security.
“Peace would only be achieved through an inclusive process that addresses holistically the root causes and drivers of the conflict in the eastern DRC and the region. In our view, the lack of implementation of the various agreements by all parties is a major challenge.
“If we are serious about achieving lasting peace, for a start, we must ensure that all parties must fulfill their commitments made as signatories to the Peace, Security and Cooperation Framework,” she said.
