The chairperson of the Summit of EAC Heads of State and President of Burundi, Evariste Ndayishimiye; President William Ruto of Kenya; President Félix Antoine Tshisekedi of DRC; President Paul Kagame of Rwanda; President Yoweri Museveni of Uganda; and Uhuru Kenyatta, the Facilitator of the East African Community (EAC) – Led Nairobi Process; graced the opening session of the third inter-Congolese dialogue held under the EAC- Led Nairobi Process.
The message of Samia Suluhu Hassan, President of Tanzania, was delivered by Stergomena Tax, Minister for foreign affairs and regional cooperation while Huang Xi, Special envoy of the United Nations Secretary General for the Great Lakes Region, conveyed a message of goodwill from António Guterres, the U.N Secretary General.
1. The leaders:
i. Commended Uhuru Kenyatta for his leadership in steering the EAC-Led Nairobi Process and renewed their commitment and support to him, in fulfilling the mandate of restoring peace and security in eastern DRC.
ii. Restated the need for complementarity of the political and military interventions to secure lasting peace in eastern DRC, with emphasis on the political process as the surest path to sustainable peace and security.
iii. Recalled the decisions of the 22nd ordinary Summit of EAC Heads of State held on 22nd July 2022, the high-level consultative meeting of the Summit of EAC Heads of State held in Sharm el Sheikh, Egypt, on 7th November 2022; and the Mini-Summit on Peace and Security in the eastern region of the DRC held in Luanda, Angola, on 23rd November 2022, that brought together the Nairobi and Luanda processes and called for full compliance.
iv. Called on all local armed groups in eastern DRC to embrace consultations, lay down their arms and join the political process. The leaders also emphasised the urgent need for unconditional disarmament and departure of foreign-armed groups from the territory of DRC.
v. Appreciated the presence of the DRC delegation, in large numbers, and commended them for accepting the invitation to participate in the third round of inter-Congolese dialogue, under the EAC-Led Nairobi Process, set to run from 28th November to 3rd December 2022 in Nairobi, Kenya.
vi. Noted with concern the dire plight of refugees and internally displaced persons in eastern DRC and within the region, and reaffirmed the urgent need for restoration of peace that will allow for voluntary return and settlement of refugees.
vii. Underscored the need for EAC Partner States and the international community to invest in the success of the process, by settling their commitments to the Nairobi process and accelerating the implementation of the agreed outcomes.
vii. Reiterated the full respect for the territorial integrity of DRC and restated the commitment to utilization of existing regional and global frameworks to address misunderstandings.
ix. Commended President Felix Tshisekedi for his commitment to restoration of peace in eastern DRC and encouraged the Congolese groups present, to take advantage of the opportunity the dialogue offers to accelerate the path to peace.
2. The leaders thanked William Samoei Ruto, President of Kenya, and the government and people of Kenya for a warm welcome accorded to the delegations, and his dedication to the quest of peace and its inherent value in unlocking development and economic opportunities in DRC and the region at large. (End)