The International Conference of the Great Lakes Region (ICGLR) held an extraordinary summit on June 3 in Luanda to address the security situation in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Christophe Lutundula, reviewed the progress of this meeting during a briefing moderated by the Minister of Communication and Media.
The report by João Lourenço, facilitator appointed by the African Union, was presented to the participants in order to take stock of the situation in the region. Despite the results achieved so far through the Luanda and Nairobi process, hostilities persist and the integration of the M23 into the Disarmament, Demobilization, Community Recovery and Social Reintegration Program is not yet complete.
The Deputy Prime Minister stresses the need for an evaluation of the ICGLR to assess the progress of the Luanda Roadmap, adopted in November 2022. Member State officials have set a date for the holding of a quadripartite meeting in Luanda on June 23 with the participation of EAC, ICGLR, SADC and ECCAS under the aegis of the African Union.
The ICGLR summit also welcomed the deployment of Angolan troops to secure the pre-cantonment and cantonment of M23 troops while affirming the need for a concrete application of the sovereignty of the DRC in the spaces hitherto occupied by the former armed group.
In short, the situation remains fragile despite the progress made at this ICGLR summit. The Congolese authorities, together with their African counterparts, remain determined to find a lasting solution for peace and security in the Great Lakes region.