The Tenth Extraordinary Summit of the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region (ICGLR) was held in Luanda, the Angolan capital on Saturday 03 June. The Heads of State and heads of delegation present discussed the issue of the security situation in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of Congo and the crisis in Sudan. But although the meeting did not lead to the dissemination of a final communiqué, it did allow certain principles to be recalled and recommendations to be made in order to strengthen political stability and security in the region.
The President of Angola, João Lourenço, chaired this meeting, in the presence of the Congolese President Félix-Antoine Tshisekedi. The summit notably reaffirmed the need to execute the Luanda joint roadmap adopted in November 2023 and adjusted in Addis Ababa in February 2023. It also took note of SADC’s decision to deploy its combat troops in the East of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
The ICGLR expressed its support for the deployment of Angolan troops to secure the pre-cantonment of M23 members after their withdrawal from illegally occupied areas. She also insisted on the need for the unconditional disarmament of the M23, as well as the deployment of SADC troops in eastern DRC.
The Summit also recalled the obligation imposed on the M23 terrorists to actually withdraw from the occupied zones for a pre-cantonment in Rumangabo, then cantonment in Maniema, before their integration into the PDDRCS. To strengthen coordination between the different agencies, a quadripartite coordination meeting, with the participation of the East African Community, ICGLR, SADC and ECCAS under the leadership of the African Union, took place. was scheduled for Friday, June 23 in Luanda.
The holding of this summit illustrates the region’s desire to strengthen political stability and security in the Great Lakes region. This will thus promote the economic and social development of the region. The Democratic Republic of Congo will thus be able to engage in political and economic reforms for a peaceful and stable transition.
This meeting is therefore part of a process aimed at consolidating political achievements and strengthening economic development in the Great Lakes region.