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Ph:DR: The situation in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is alarming and there is a risk of regional conflagration
The Special Envoy of the Secretary-General for the Great Lakes region presented to the Security Council on Wednesday an alarming picture of the situation in eastern DRC, marked by persistent tensions between this country and Rwanda, with a risk regional conflagration. Furthermore, tensions between Burundi and Rwanda, closely linked to the situation in eastern DRC, further aggravate the worrying situation and compromise the significant progress recorded since 2020 in relations between these two countries.
“Tensions between the DRC and Rwanda not only persist, but have also been exacerbated with repeated clashes between the March 23 Movement (M23) and the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of Congo (FARDC),” observed UN envoy Huang Xia in a briefing to Council members.
He expressed concern about “the seriousness of the situation, marked in particular by the intensification of the conflict and the worrying deterioration of the humanitarian situation in the east of the DRC”. “Added to this is the persistence of confrontational rhetoric between the DRC and Rwanda against a backdrop of reciprocal accusations of destabilization plans and the outbreak of hate speech”he added.
Mr. Xia noted that, moreover, the tensions between Burundi and Rwanda, closely linked to the situation in eastern DRC, further aggravate the worrying situation and compromise the significant progress recorded since 2020 in relations between these two countries.
Increase de-escalation efforts
In this “alarming” context, the UN envoy judges that it is necessary to “urgently increase” efforts to de-escalate and ease tensions, “in order to avoid a regional conflagration” and that this happens. “inevitably through frank and sincere dialogue between the parties concerned”.
He praised the political and diplomatic efforts of several African leaders and international partners to find a solution to this crisis.
According to him, actors in the region have appropriate instruments and mechanisms to achieve an effective de-escalation of tensions.
Role of women
Mr. Xia recalled that women have “a capital contribution to make” and, according to him, “they must take their full place in the peace discussions and in the proposed solutions that will be formulated, as they are at the forefront of the crisis “.
The UN envoy observed that the persistence of conflicts in the region highlights the need for continued efforts to resolve root causes in a sustainable manner, noting efforts towards the revitalization of the Addis Framework Agreement -Ababa.
“It is obvious that to achieve lasting peace in the region, ongoing efforts to revitalize the Framework Agreement will need to bear fruit. The signatory countries, as the main stakeholders, have no other choice than to implement each and all of the commitments made under this Agreement. But it is certain that the current crisis context makes things more difficult,” he said.
In this context, he encouraged the Security Council “to continue to urge the countries of the region to spare no effort for the full implementation of the Framework Agreement”.
Immensity of the crisis
The United Nations Assistant Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Deputy Emergency Relief Coordinator, Joyce Msuya, also sounded the alarm about the situation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, “the country with the largest number of of people in need in the world.
“I was struck, during my visit in February last year, by the scale and depth of this immense crisis. Since then, the crisis has further worsened,” she told members of the Security Council, in a briefing on behalf of the Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, Martin Griffiths.
She recalled that the DRC is the country most affected by food insecurity in the world, with nearly one in four Congolese – or 23.4 million people – experiencing acute hunger. The country is also facing massive population displacements. More than 7.2 million people are now internally displaced. Between December 2023 and March 2024, this figure increased by 700,000 people.
Concern over MONUSCO withdrawal
Ms. Msuya highlighted the particularly difficult situation in the provinces of South Kivu, North Kivu and Ituri.
“In the three provinces, the presence of bases of the MONUSCO (United Nations Mission in the DRC) has until now provided some protection to civilians. It also plays a vital role in facilitating humanitarian access. In a context of intensifying violence, humanitarian organizations are deeply concerned about the potential impact of the ongoing withdrawal of the MONUSCO “, she said.
The senior official also insisted on the particularly worrying impact of the crisis on women and children. Eastern DRC is today one of the most dangerous places in the world to be a woman or girl and the conflict has led to a significant increase in dangers for children.
She stressed that the humanitarian community has intensified its efforts in the face of the escalating situation but that these efforts are seriously limited by insufficient funding. So far, only 16% of the $2.6 billion needed to help 8.7 million people in need in the DRC in 2024 has been allocated.
The population of the DRC “needs our support,” concluded Joyce Msuya. “Urgent measures must be taken to resolve the conflict and avoid a further deterioration of the situation in the DRC and the entire region.” (APO Group for UN News)
