National

A meeting of ministers in charge of Foreign Affairs of the International Conference on the Great Lakes (ICGLR) opened in Kampala yesterday to continue efforts towards finding a solution to the eastern DRC conflict.

According to the ICGLR Communications Officer Dorine Nininahazwe, the officials will receive a report of the Military Assessment Team (MAT).

The team was tasked with assessing the strength, composition, weaponry requirement and areas of deployment for the neutral international force.

“They will analyse the MAT report that was adopted by Defence ministers in Goma last month,” she said.

During the meeting, ICGLR Heads of Intelligence Services and Chiefs of Defence Staff will also receive a report by the Joint Verification Mechanism (JVM) on the logistics and financial aspect of the Neutral International Force.

The military experts’ team has already developed a draft strategic concept of operations for the neutral international force, which includes the mission’s requirement and organisation.

Uganda has repeatedly reiterated its commitment as the ICGLR chair to the process of finding a durable solution to the conflict in Eastern DRC, in line with the Pact on Security, Stability and Development in the Great Lakes Region.