UN’s top envoy warns Africa's Great Lakes Region is ‘at a crossroads’
New York, US (PANA) - The UN Secretary-General’s Special Envoy to the Great Lakes Region in Africa, Huang Xia, has told ambassadors of the Security Council that the countries concerned now stand “at a crossroads”.
Speaking at a Security Council meeting on Wednesday on the situation in the region Mr. Xia said the main threat to peace and stability around the Great Rift Valley remains the persistence of non-State armed groups.
He pointed to “an upsurge in attacks”, whether by the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), or those launched by the RED-Tabara against Bujumbura airport, in Burundi, last September.
A UN statement said since the beginning of this year, in DRC alone, at least 1,043 civilians have been killed, including 233 women and 52 children.
“This violence continues to have serious consequences on the already fragile humanitarian situation, as well as on the socio-economic stability of the affected area,” the Special Envoy said.
He told the Council Members that “these negative forces also remain involved in the illicit exploitation and trade in natural resources, the revenues of which finance their arms procurement and recruitment”.
“How to put an end to it?”, he asked. “This is obviously an old question that haunts anyone interested in the region.”
Despite the challenges, he highlighted several bilateral and regional initiatives, saying they “attest to the emergence of a community aware of the added value of dialogue and cooperation”.
He also noted the overall peaceful transfers of power in the DRC and Burundi, as well as the signing and implementation of peace agreements in the Central African Republic, South Sudan and the Sudan.
He said more than ever, “it is necessary to sustainably consolidate these achievements while firmly addressing the challenges that persist”.
“The success of such an approach requires learning from the lessons of the past and showing imagination to support the people of the Great Lakes region in building a better present and future,” he added.
Turning to COVID-19, he said the pandemic has exacerbated vulnerabilities, but also demonstrated the resilience of the region.
Before the pandemic, 15 million people across the Great Lakes were already displaced from their homes, facing rising malnutrition and food insecurity.
Mr. Xia also reiterated the Secretary-General's call for greater solidarity to facilitate access to vaccines and to strengthen health systems.
-0- PANA MA 21Oct2021
