KIGALI - The Great Lakes Parliamentary Forum on Peace -Amani Forum - that concluded its two-day meeting in Kigali, over the weekend, added its voice to the growing doubts over the UN "Mapping Report” on DRC, further questioning the report’s objectivity and methodology and calling on the International body to reassess it.

While discussing regional security, the parliamentarians stressed that the Great Lakes region should not be swayed by western influences while seeking solutions to its own problems.

"After discussion on the UN Mapping Report, members agreed that the report was fraud in terms of objectivity, methods used as well as being partial,” a statement released after the meeting read. "And considering the impact and potential to create conflict in the Great Lakes Region and Africa in General, we request the UN to reconsider this report.”

The  report  has  been snubbed by government and is seen as a manipulation of UN processes by organisations and individuals, both inside and outside UN system, for purposes of rewriting history, improperly apportioning blame for the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi and an attempt to reignite conflict in Rwanda and in the region.

Based in Nairobi, Kenya, Amani has national chapters in Burundi, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia, and in 2007, a chapter was also established in the East African Legislative Assembly (EALA).

The Kigali session recommended that the regional Secretariat "send these resolutions and recommendations to the UN, the AU, the Pan African Parliament (PAP) and East Africa Community (EAC).

It appreciated agreements among the region’s leaders to reinforce cooperation in matters of defense, security, and to promote mutual trust and cooperation in politics, as well as to put in place programs that enhance the principle of good neighbourhood relations.

Participants expressed gratitude to Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda and Tanzania for conducting successful elections and called upon Sudan and Somalia to "put their house in order.”

It also recommended that the Great Lakes Region’s Parliamentarians: double their efforts in the peace building activities in the region; initiate and legislate laws of extradition of the criminals to the states of origin; and legislate laws against genocide denial and genocide negation, among others.

Ends