African leaders welcomed the signing Tuesday of a 2 million US dollars agreement between the African Union (AU) and the East African Community (EAC) to facilitate operations of the EAC Regional Force (EACRF) in DRC.
The praise is part of a 22-point statement issued at the end of the summit that brought together leaders of the East African Community (EAC), Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS), International Conference on the Great Lakes Region (ICGLR) and the Southern African Development Community (SADC), under the coordination of the African Union.
African Heads of State and Government at the Summit of four regional bodies in Africa, held in Angolan capital, praised Gabon’s contribution of 500,000 US dollars to peace efforts in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
In the final communiqué, participants also hailed Angola and Senegal for providing a 1 million US dollars financial support to the Nairobi Process led by the East African Community.
During the Luanda Summit, African Union member countries were called upon to contribute to the peace processes in Africa on a voluntary basis.
The leaders recognised the efforts of the DRC Armed Forces (FARDC), EACRF and the United Nations Organisation Stabilisation Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO) in eradicating the negative forces operating in the east of the country.
Heads of State and Government paid tribute to all the men and women who sacrificed themselves in the east of the DRC, having expressed their condolences to their families and countries, wishing the wounded a speedy recovery.
The leaders congratulated Angola for hosting the First Quadripartite Summit of African leaders, having decided to institutionalise the event as a Platform for harmonisation and consultations, looking forward to the holding of the second Quadripartite Summit.
The leaders welcomed the proposal submitted by Burundi to host the second Quadripartite meeting in Bujumbura at a date yet to be announced, having requested the African Union Commission to convene a meeting of the Defence Chiefs of the Quadripartite mechanism members to coordinate existing and planned deployments in eastern DRC.
The African leaders stressed the need for information sharing and timely consultations between the African Union Commission, United Nations and regional bodies regarding efforts to restore Peace and Stability in Eastern DRC and the region.
The inter-regional meeting is part of the deliberations of the 11th Extraordinary Summit of Heads of State of the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region (ICGLR) held on March 3 in Luanda under the initiative of the Angolan Head of State, João Lourenço, Acting Chairperson of the ICGLR.
The quadripartite meeting was attended by the President of the Union of the Comoros and acting chairman of the African Union, Azali Assoumani, the Head of State of Zimbabwe and acting chairman of the African Union Peace and Security Council, Emmerson Mnangagwa, and the President of Gabon, and acting chairman of the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS), Ali Bongo.
Burundi´s Head of State and the chairman of the East African Community (EAC), Evarist Ndayishimiye, the Head of State of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), and acting chairperson of the Southern African Development Community (SADC), Félix Tshisekedi, the former President of Kenya and designated facilitator of the EAC, Uhuru Muigai Kenyatta, were also present.
The summit also attended by the Vice President of Namibia, Nangolo Mbumba, the Rwandan Foreign minister, Vincent Biruta, the Chairperson of the African Union Commission, Moussa Faki Mahammat, Ambassador Parfait Onanga, representative of the UN Secretary General, as well as the Chairperson of the ECCAS Commission, and the Executive Secretaries of the ICGLR, SADC and the EAC.
Source: Angola Press News Agency