The secretary general of the Parliamentary Forum of the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region (ICGLR), Onyango Kakoba, expressed this Friday in Juba, capital city of South Sudan, the need for member states to support the initiative of the Angolan President, João Lourenço, tending to the pacification of the region.
Speaking at the opening of the 13th Ordinary Session of the Plenary of the Parliamentary Forum of the ICGLR, Onyango Kakoba said that the member states of the organization should join the efforts of the Angolan President, whose objective is to achieve peace and stability in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Central Africa Republic (CAR), in particular, as a way of guaranteeing the well-being of the populations and the development of the region.
Onyango Kakoba highlighted the fact that Angola had made itself available to send a military contingent to the DRC to secure the areas where the M23 elements were stationed and to protect the members of the Ad-Hoc Verification Mechanism, following the cease-fire between government troops and the rebels.
According to Onyango Kakoba, the end of conflicts in the region, in a peaceful way, requires the commitment of all member states, engaging in the actions promoted by President João Lourenço.
Secretary general Onyango Kakoba asked the parliaments to promote advocacy actions with the respective governments so that the initiative of the Angolan statesman reach the envisaged objectives.
On his turn, the Vice-President of South Sudan, James Wani Igga, praised the efforts of President João Lourenço, and highlighted the need for a combination of forces to achieve peace and stability in the region.
According to James Wani Igga, member states must reinforce their commitment to peace, unity and stability, which are essential for the well-being of the populations and development of the region.
James Wani Igga also called for the advocacy of regional parliaments with local governments for joint and concerted action to guarantee and achieve peace and stability.
Angola is present at the 13th Ordinary Session of the Plenary Assembly with a delegation led by the President of the National Assembly, Carolina Cerqueira.
The Angolan delegation in the event has as current matter of great impact the mediation role of President João Lourenço in the pacification of eastern DRC and the sending, in the next few days, of 500 military personnel to lead the process of quartering the M23 troops.
During the event, which runs until April 1, parliamentarians from the region have on their agenda, among other issues, an approach to the conflict in the East of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), peace and security, combating terrorism, as well as natural calamities.
The Parliamentary Forum of the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region is an inter-parliamentary organization that brings together national parliaments from the 12 member states of the ICGLR, namely Angola, Burundi, Central African Republic (CAR), Congo, Kenya, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Rwanda, South Sudan, Sudan, Uganda, Tanzania and Zambia.
Source: Angola Press News Agency (APNA)