Direct engagement and frank discussion happened today in Zanzibar between DRC’s Deputy Foreign Minister Gracia Yamba Kazadi and Rwanda’s Ministers of Foreign affairs Olivier Nduhungirehe, facilitated by Tanzania and South Sudan, the two co-chairs of the East African Community (EAC) Ministerial Retreat, in the presence of Ministers from Uganda and Kenya, and that of the EAC Deputy Secretary General in charge of political affairs.
The meeting took place in a constructive and solution-oriented spirit, and the ministers of the two neighbouring countries, who demonstrated good will, underscored the need for a political solution to the crisis in eastern DRC. In this regard, concrete decisions were taken to reinvigorate Luanda and Nairobi peace processes.
Minister Olivier Nduhungirehe is in Zanzibar, Tanzania, attending the EAC Ministerial Retreat. This retreat brings together all Ministers of Foreign and EAC Affairs from the region. Partner States are to discuss among others the state of regional peace and security as well as the regional integration process. (End).