UNSC briefing on the implementation of the Peace, Security, and Cooperation Framework (PSCF) for DR Congo and the Great Lakes region

Mr. President, Members of the Council, Special Envoy Xia, 1. We thank all Council Members for their continued engagement on the situation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and the broader Great Lakes Region. We also commend Special Envoy Xia for his efforts and his briefing. 2. Rwanda reaffirms its sincere commitment to regional peace and cooperation. We remain supportive of the regional processes, and we believe regional processes are the most effective path to durable peace and prosperity. 3. Partners from the region and beyond all are calling for peace, a long-lasting solution that will take into consideration the concerns of all parties. Rwanda shares this position and is willing to do its part to achieve this goal. Mr. President 4. The Peace, Security and Cooperation Framework (PSCF), signed in 2013, was a landmark initiative, a bold and collective commitment to end the recurring cycle of conflict in the DRC and the Great Lakes Region. It was meant to address the root causes of instability and build mutual trust among states and peoples of the region. 5. Yet, more than 12 years later, we are still confronting the very same challenges PSCF was designed to address. 6. A key pillar of the PSCF disarmament, demobilization, and reintegration (DDR) of armed groups has seen little progress. Instead, we are witnessing the continued presence of foreign and domestic armed groups, which pose significant threats to the region. 7. In connection to this, FDLR remains the most security threat in the region. Despite more than 20 Security Council resolutions calling for its disarmament and disbandment since 2003. Today FDLR continues to recruit, train, and commit atrocities including sexual violence, ethnic cleansing, and mass killings. Now it has graduated to being integrated in FARDC before your own eyes. It is no longer a secret, but a fact based on reports presented. 8. Therefore, the FARDC/FDLR coalition undermines both regional stability and the PSCF itself. No country, Rwanda included, should accept the existential threat posed by such groups. Entertaining or legitimizing the FDLR, even tacitly, prolongs the conflict and destabilizes the region further. Mr. President, Council Members, 9. 12 years since the PSCF’s inception, it is time for a candid evaluation of its implementation. The root causes of conflict ethnic discrimination, armed group proliferation, and impunity continue to fester. Resources have been spent, resolutions adopted, yet we are not far from square one. 10. Despite these challenges, Rwanda remains optimistic and committed to the full implementation of the PSCF. We are convinced that, under the supervision of this Council and in coordination with regional partners, we can break free from the cycle of violence and bring lasting peace to the Great Lakes Region. 11. In this regard, Rwanda proposes the following steps to support the effective implementation of the PSCF: (1) Disarm and neutralize the FDLR and its splinter groups: The Council should ensure the full enforcement of its resolutions, with no selectivity, and hold accountable to all those who support or collaborate with the FDLR. (2) Condemn hate speech and ethnic incitement: The Security Council must take a firm stance against hate speech and xenophobia in the DRC fueling violence, division and persecution of Congolese Tutsi communities. (3) Support regional joint efforts led by the EAC and SADC process: Rwanda calls on the UN Security Council to fully support the ongoing African-led process, which provides the best chance to reach a lasting peace in the region. Complementary to this process, Rwanda welcomes the confidence-building measures undertaken by the State of Qatar, as it further supports the current positive momentum. Rwanda also welcomes the recent visit to the region by the U.S. Senior Adviser for Africa, Mr. Massad Boulos. We commend their pragmatic approach aimed at addressing the root causes of the conflict. (4) Strengthen the role of the Special Envoy: Rwanda calls on the Special Envoy of the Secretary-General to work in close coordination with EAC and SADC-led processes. His good offices should align with regional mechanisms to ensure unified international support. (5) Demand ownership of the DRC: The DRC must confront its internal contradictions. Externalizing and scapegoating Rwanda for its own problems will not solve them. Blame games have become their business, but this is just a painkiller. They must own up. Also, I wish to emphasize that the continued violations of the hardly obtained ceasefire by Wazalendo, a militia allied with FARDC, without any condemnation by this Council, is a total lack of ownership of the process as the DRC relegates political responsibility to a militia. Mr. President, 12. In conclusion, Rwanda remains fully committed to the PSCF. We continue to believe in its promise, but that promise will only be realized if it is supported by genuine accountability, regional alignment, and bold political leadership. 13. We call on this Council to stand firmly behind the regional efforts of the EAC and SADC, and to ensure that the Special Envoy’s mandate is used effectively to support and complement these initiatives. 14. Rwanda looks forward to working with all partners to transform the Great Lakes Region into a zone of peace, stability, and permanently get rid of armed groups and the legacy of genocide. I thank you for your kind attention.

News

UNSC briefing on the implementation of the Peace, Security, and Cooperation Framework (PSCF) for DR Congo and the Great Lakes region