CEPGL Defence Ministers agree on eradicating armed forces in the region

GOMA- The defence ministers of Rwanda, Burundi and DR Congo have agreed to eliminate all negative forces that are destabilizing the region and form a security fraternity body to assess and monitor the security situations in theregion. The initiative of forming a security body under Economic Community of the Great Lakes Region (CEPGL) was reached as part of a security pact signed at Goma town of North Kivu-DR Congo. “We are here to declare and agree to establish a permanent security commission that will be monitoring and assessing security situations in our three countries. It will be meeting twice a year bringing together heads of states of CEPGL,” the signed pact read in part CEPGL is the regional bloc bringing together Rwanda, DR Congo and Burundi. It was created in September 1976. Addressing the media, Rwanda’s defence minister, Gen. Marcel Gatsinzi, said that the next defence meeting will be held in Kigali after six months. ”Following the last meeting in Kinshasa, the next meeting will be held in Kigali to asses the security situation and we expect it to be graced by three Heads-of-State.” According to the security pact that has seen, all borderswill be open 24 hours beginning September and CEPGL will be providing movement documents starting from January 2010. The meeting also lauded the joint operation of Congolese army (FARDC), and UN mission in DR Congo (MONUC) code named ‘Kimia 2’ against FDRL-Interahamwe and other armed groups in DR Congo that started last weekend. “Partnering with our neighbouring countries to solve their own problems has created a big union of our people in the region,” Congolese Defence and Veterans Minister, Mwando Simba, said at the closing ceremony yesterday. “Since operation Umoja Wetu, both countries have restored the bilateral, diplomatic relations so we have to continue in this spirit.” In a separate interview with Col. Jeremie Niyoyankana, Burundi Defence and Veterans Minister said that his country will benefit a lot from the security pact in terms of ending bandit activities that were at their borders with DR Congo and feel secure since no country that has signed the pact will host any negative forces. Ends