After several postponements, the mini-summit between the heads of state of the DRC, Rwanda, Uganda and Angola was held at a video conference on Wednesday, October 7th. The initiator of this virtual meeting, Félix Tshisekedi attended from the city of Goma, on the border with Rwanda. Several topics were on the menu, but security issues played a large role in the discussions.
as reported from Kinshasa, Patient Ligodi
On paper, the ambition is great. The four leaders say they want to eradicate the negative forces and armed groups operating in the Great Lakes region and especially in the DRC.
“Strengthening existing subregional mechanisms”
If no major decision was announced at the end of these nearly three-hour talks, Félix Tshisekedi, João Lourenço, Paul Kagame and Yoweri Museveni nevertheless expressed their willingness “to strengthen the existing subregional mechanisms to: cut off the negative forces from the sources of funding ”.
Some armed groups active in the DRC, such as ADF, that FDLR, the Red Tabara and other movements have origins and / or ties to either Rwanda, Uganda and Burundi. These three countries are also accused by the Congolese opposition and civil society of serving as starting points for minerals illegally mined in the DRC.
“Fight together”
In this regard, the four heads of state confirmed “their desire to jointly fight against regional and international mafia networks that contribute to the exploitation and illegal trade in natural resources in the Great Lakes sub-region”. The experts and foreign ministers were given the power to propose the practical guidelines for the resolutions adopted at this mini-summit.
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