The East African Community Secretary General, Peter Mathuki, on Wednesday, February 22, met with the Executive Secretary of the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region (ICGLR), Amb. João Caholo, and deliberated on areas of cooperation between the two institutions in supporting the restoration of peace and security in eastern DR Congo.

Their meeting, held on the sidelines of the 43rd EAC Council of Ministers Ordinary meeting, in Bujumbura, Burundi, followed the February 17 Mini-Summit of Heads of State and Governments on Peace and Security in eastern DR Congo held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

On February 17, EAC leaders discussed the implementation of the Nairobi peace process as well as the Luanda roadmap in a bid to address the deteriorating security situation in eastern DR Congo.

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In Bujumbura, Mathuki and Amb. Caholo committed to enhancing collaboration between the two institutions they head by partnering and availing necessary support to each other, in the quest for restoring peace and security in eastern DR Congo.

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They noted that the two institutions have complementary roles to play in ensuring a sustainable solution to the peace and security situation in the country is realized.

"The gains of regional integration such as economic development can only be realized when the region is peaceful and we thus have to play our rightful roles in contributing to this,” Mathuki said.

Ensuring peace in eastern DR Congo a win for continent

Amb. Caholo noted that a win realized in ensuring peace in eastern DR Congo would be a win for the continent and globe at large.

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He reiterated the ICGLR’s commitment to supporting the quest for peace in eastern DR Congo.

On February 16, Rwanda’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Amb Claver Gatete, emphasized the need to address root causes of security conflicts in the eastern DR Congo instead of continuing to highlight the symptoms.

During the UN Security Council briefing of the UN Group of Experts (UNGoE) mid-term report on the security situation in DR Congo, Gatete noted that the report the Council was considering "only highlights the symptoms” of the insecurity in the region.

Gatete said: "The sustained collaboration between the Congolese army, FARDC, and armed groups in eastern DR Congo is at the heart of the insecurity affecting our region.”

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The UNGoE report discussed on February 16 says Congolese armed forces have been cooperating with armed groups, such as the FDLR, in the war against the M23 rebels, in Kivu region.

Besides aligning itself with FDLR – a Rwandan genocidal militia formed by remnants of the perpetrators of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi –Kinshasa also continued to alienate the M23 rebels, thereby reducing the prospects for peace.

Rwanda has long accused the Congolese army of cooperating with the terrorist group FDLR, whose members are suspects of genocide crimes.