The 11th high-level meeting of the Regional Oversight Mechanism of the Peace, Security and Cooperation Framework for DR Congo and the Great Lakes region was held in Bujumbura, Burundi on Saturday, May 6.
The summit, chaired by Burundi’s President Evariste Ndayishimiye, was attended by the United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres, the African Union Commission Chairperson Moussa Faki Mahamat, Presidents Felix Tshisekedi of DR Congo, Yoweri Museveni of Uganda, Cyril Ramaphosa of South Africa, and Faustin-Archange Touadera of Central Africa Republic, as well as Rwanda's Prime Minister Edouard Ngirente, who represented President Paul Kagame, among other regional leaders.
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The resolutions adopted at the summit were released on Sunday, May 7. Here are five key resolutions derived from the statement by the UN Great Lakes office.
1. Respect for sovereignty of countries
According to the statement, the leaders reaffirmed their "respect for the sovereignty, territorial integrity, notably intangibility of borders, and the political independence of all countries in the region.”
2. Call for dialogue between Rwanda-DR Congo
The leaders expressed concern over the tensions between DR Congo and Rwanda, and called for restraint, de-escalation of tensions, and pursuit of dialogue between the two countries.
They commended Angola’s President João Lourenço for his role as the AU mediator between DR Congo and Rwanda and urged both countries to implement the decisions reached under the Luanda Process. They reiterated their support for the Luanda Process and the EAC-led Nairobi Process.
3. Militia activities condemned
The leaders condemned the actions of foreign and local armed groups operating in eastern DR Congo, including the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF)-Madina at Tauheed Wau Mujahedeen (MTM) from Uganda, FDLR from Rwanda, RED Tabara from Burundi, and Congolese militia groups including CODECO and Mai Mai.
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The leaders urged the armed groups to "immediately cease hostilities without conditions, engage in the process of voluntary disarmament and community reintegration for Congolese armed groups, in the case of foreign armed groups, the repatriation to their countries of origin.”
4. M23 withdrawal
They also called for the withdrawal of the M23 rebel group to positions determined by the Luanda communique. The M23 began its withdrawal in December 2022, and its vacated positions are occupied by the East African Community regional force.
They also called for an "independent investigation” into massacres perpetrated against civilians in Kizimba, in Masisi territory in eastern DR Congo on the night of May 3 to 4.
5. Continued deployment of EAC regional force
The leaders reiterated their request to MONUSCO, the EAC Regional Force and the Ad Hoc Verification Mechanism to continue to enhance coordination and synergies with the DR Congo armed forces in order to impress upon all armed groups to disarm.
"We also encourage other troops deployed through bilateral arrangements to fully commit themselves to the same,” the statement said, adding that the leaders encouraged the Congolese government "to authorize the continuation and the finalization of the deployment of the Regional Force.”
In another resolution, the leaders expressed compassion following the death of more than 130 people in Rwanda due to flash floods and landslides on May 2 and 3.
They also expressed their concern over the escalation of violence between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in Sudan and called for "an immediate cessation of hostilities, a return to dialogue, and a peaceful political transition.”
The high-level meeting was organized with the support of the Guarantor institutions of the Framework Agreement, namely the United Nations (UN), the African Union (AU), the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region (ICGLR), and the Southern African Development Community (SADC).