Officials from 11 African countries are meeting in Kigali for consultations that seek to find a lasting solution for security issues on the continent, especially Central Africa. The consultations of representatives of countries in the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS) are part of the 56th Ministerial Meeting of the United Nations Standing Advisory Committee on Security Questions in Central Africa, which will be concluded on Friday. The five-day meeting, themed “Prevention and response to unconstitutional changes in Central Africa,” will chart ways to solve current security issues. ALSO READ: Four African regional blocs discuss DR Congo crisis It convenes at the backdrop of the war in eastern DR Congo, and August coup in Gabon and among other threats to regional security. Rwanda is hosting the 56th #UNSAC56 Ministerial Meeting under the theme Prevention and response to unconstitutional changes in Central Africa. This 5 day gathering convenes Foreign Ministers and experts from @CEEAC_ECCAS to discuss security and stability issues in the region. pic.twitter.com/4qwBhpAvzt — Ministry of Foreign Affairs & Int'l Cooperation (@RwandaMFA) November 21, 2023 “The meeting will also look at how to prevent unconstitutional changes of governments, as well as issues of children’s rights in wartime and climate change effects, among others,” said Amb. Guillaume Kavaruganda, the Director-General of Europe, Americas and International Organisations at Rwanda’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs. “Rwanda wants peace and security in the region, because countries and people can trade and cooperate with each other when there is peace. During this meeting every country will present its own security situation and we shall discuss the solutions together,” he said. ALSO READ: ECCAS leaders discuss security, trade Kavaruganda added that theirs is a technical meeting which will come up with recommendations to be presented before the ministers on Friday. “The ministers will take appropriate measures, but we are there to advise them,” he said. The ECCASS is made up of Angola, Burundi, Cameroon, the Central African Republic, Congo, Gabon, Equatorial Guinea, DR Congo, Rwanda, Sao Tome and Principe, and Chad. ALSO READ: Kagame, CAR President Touadera discuss security cooperation Kavaruganda said the countries, like the Central African Republic (CAR) where Rwanda has troops, are starting to emerge from crises.
