The consultative summit of the interministerial committee of the ICGLR (International Conference on the Great Lakes Region) was held in Luanda (Angola) on Friday, June 2, 2023. The debates focused on two main points: the adoption of the order of the day of the next summit and the analysis of the final communiqué on the political and security situation in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
The Deputy Prime Minister of Defense, Jean Pierre Bemba Gombo, accompanied by the Minister of State for Regional Integration, Antipas Mbusa Nyamwisi, expressed their position on the claims of the DRC. According to the two men, the summit must strongly condemn any attempt to relaunch hostilities in the east of the country by strengthening the military posture of the warring parties. They also called for facilitating the return of the displaced in order to guarantee their safety and their enrollment in the areas formerly occupied by the M23. The ministers also called for the reopening of the main roads to facilitate the movement of humanitarian workers and the evaluation of progress in the two member countries of the ICGLR which were at the heart of the summit: the DRC and Sudan.
The consultative meeting also discussed the situation in Sudan. Members of the Congolese government have come out in favor of inclusive dialogue and the cessation of hostilities.
The final communiqué of the 10th Extraordinary Summit will be adopted on Saturday, June 3, 2023 by the Heads of State and Government convened by Angolan President Joao Manuel Gonçalves Lourenço, current President of the CIRGL.
Félix Antoine Tshisekedi (DRC), Hakainde Hichilema (Zambia), Prosper Bazombanza (the representative of the President of Burundi) and Jessica Rose (the representative of Uganda) are among the personalities expected in Luanda.
In sum, the political and security situation in eastern DRC is a major concern for the ICGLR. Statements by Congolese ministers show the need to ensure the security and return of displaced populations to conflict zones. Heads of State gathered in Luanda are invited to adopt a firm position in favor of peace, security and development in the Great Lakes region