There is need to intensify operations to eradicate rebel groups operating in eastern DR Congo which have become a menace to the region, regional leaders said yesterday.

Meeting at the fifth Ordinary Summit of Heads of State and Government of the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region (ICGLR), in Luanda, Angola, the leaders cited the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR), Uganda’s Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), among the negative forces that need to be uprooted from their hideouts in eastern DR Congo, and called on the UN force Monusco to intensify its operations, according to a statement  released at the end of the meeting.

The summit was attended by Presidents Paul Kagame, Yoweri Museveni (Uganda), Uhuru Kenyatta (Kenya), Jacob Zuma (South Africa), Joseph Kabila (DR Congo), host President Eduardo dos Santos of Angola, among others.

The Heads of State expressed their support for the resolutions that concluded the Kampala Dialogue between Kinshasa and M23 rebels and called on President Kabila’s government to ensure its implementation.

Speaking on the root causes of regional conflicts, President Museveni cited FDLR as a persistent problem that must be addressed.

"Up to now the presence of the Rwanda genocidaires in eastern DR Congo has not been solved and it has led to endless problems. To deal with the consequences without dealing with the cause is not a durable solution,” he said.

The UN Special Envoy to the Great Lakes Region, Mary Robinson, thanked the regional countries for their consistent efforts to bring peace to eastern DR Congo.

"I want to thank President Kagame for his efforts, especially during the difficult times at the Kampala talks,” Robinson said.

The meeting was preceded by an open session and a handover ceremony of the ICGLR chairmanship from President Museveni to President Dos Santos, who expressed his commitment to sustainable peace in the region.

Museveni emphasised the need for the region to look beyond differences and divisive politics.

Spate of conflicts

The leaders reaffirmed their commitment to promote peace, security, stability and development in the Great Lakes Region.

The summit was held amid renewed civil wars, with ongoing bloody conflicts in South Sudan and Central African Republic (CAR), which have killed thousands of civilians and displaced hundreds of thousands others.

The leaders commended the African Union work in addressing the humanitarian situation in South Sudan and Central African Republic.

The Summit also commended Rwanda and DR Congo for implementing the Regional Certification for minerals and recommended its extension to other member states.

The Heads of State also approved the ICGLR strategic plan for 2014 to 2018 as well as the budget for the year 2014.

Other envoys who attended the summit included US Special Envoy for the Great Lakes region and DR Congo Russell Feingold, Special Representative of the African Union Boubacar Diarra, and European Union senior coordinator for the Great Lakes, Koen Vervaeke.

The ICGLR comprises Angola, Burundi, CAR, Congo-Brazaville, DR Congo, Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Sudan, South Sudan, Tanzania and Zambia.

President Zuma attended the summit as a guest. The regional bloc has been credited for playing a key role in ending fighting that erupted in the neighbouring DR Congo nearly two years ago.