A meeting to assess the framework agreement for peace, security and cooperation for the DRC and the region was held on Thursday 24 February in Kinshasa. The Heads of State of the signatory countries gathered around President Félix Tshisekedi. The participants pledged to promote dialogue and the inclusive political process during this term of office of the President of the DRC.
From our correspondent in Kinshasa, Kamanda Wa Kamanda Muzembe
In the final communiqué, the heads of state and government, as well as the representatives of the guarantors of the framework agreement, underlined the role of President Tshisekedi.
They hailed his involvement alongside the Angolan President in the efforts that led to the signing of a memorandum of understanding between Rwanda and Uganda. This process, the final communiqué argues, resulted in the reopening of the Katuna/Gatuna border between the two countries.
Resolving tensions through diplomacy
Tensions must be eliminated through political and diplomatic means, underlined the participants at this summit in Kinshasa. They thus encourage Burundi and Rwanda, as well as Uganda and Rwanda, to pursue dialogue in order to settle their differences and re-establish good neighborly relations.
This meeting will have enabled the President of the Democratic Republic of Congo to have face-to-face meetings with his seven counterparts present. It’s a success, a real successful bet in terms of security and logistics, says a Congolese source, who also underlines the presence of the representative of the Secretary General of the United Nations, Jean-Pierre Lacroix. The next summit will take place in 2023 in Burundi.