JOINT STATEMENT OF THE A3 PLUS MEMBERS OF THE UNITED NATIONS SECURITY COUNCIL (ALGERIA, GUYANA, MOZAMBIQUE AND SIERRA LEONE)
BY H.E. DR. MICHAEL IMRAN KANU, AMBASSADOR AND PERMANENT REPRESENTATIVE
Madam President,
I have the honour to make this statement on behalf of the members of the A3+ members, namely, Algeria, Guyana, Mozambique and my country Sierra Leone.
The A3+ wishes to express its appreciation to Mr. Huang Xia, the Special Envoy of the Secretary-General for the Great Lakes Region for his comprehensive briefing and relevant information on the situation in the region, as well as for his active engagements towards the attainment and consolidation of peace in the Great Lakes Region.
We also took good note of the perspectives proffered by Ms. Sarah Kyabu Ntambwe, Executive Director, Change Your World.
The A3+ welcomes the presence of the Representatives of Angola, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Rwanda in this meeting.
Our intervention will focus broadly on the security, political, economic and humanitarian situations
Madam President,
On the security and humanitarian fronts, the A3+ still remains deeply concerned about the continued deteriorating security situation in the region, which has resulted in untold suffering for the civilian population. Millions of men, women and children continue to be displaced, particularly in the DRC and are in dire need of humanitarian assistance. Reports indicate high levels of human rights violations and abuses, including sexual violence and exploitation of women and children, particularly around camps for internally displaced persons. These acts are gross violations of international law, including international humanitarian law, and the UN Charter.
The A3+ condemns in the strongest terms all acts of violence, human rights violations and abuses perpetrated against unarmed civilians by all local and foreign armed groups in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
We urge member States, the international community, and all relevant stakeholders to scale up their support to enable adequate humanitarian assistance to the people and countries within the Great Lakes Region who require this assistance. We further call on all parties to the conflict to allow and facilitate unimpeded, rapid, and safe access for the delivery of humanitarian assistance to affected populations, especially women and children, and to respect and protect humanitarian personnel, assets, and infrastructure.
On the political situation, the A3+ welcomes the ceasefire agreement signed by the DRC and Rwanda on 30th July 2024. We acknowledge the mediation efforts of President João Lourenço of Angola in the context of the Luanda process and urge the governments of the DRC and Rwanda to maintain their engagement towards a peaceful and lasting resolution of their differences. We reiterate our strong support to this end. The A3+ also underscores the importance of the Nairobi process for addressing the problem of local armed groups operating in the eastern DRC and calls on the Congolese Government to take all measures for its full operationalization. We also express our support for the efforts of the Office of the Special Envoy for the Great Lakes region and other international partners towards a sustainable solution to the crisis in the eastern DRC. In this vein, addressing the root causes of regional conflicts should remain at the forefront of any engagement aimed at achieving sustainable peace
The A3+ takes this opportunity to remind all countries that acceded to the Peace, Security and Cooperation Framework to honour their obligations and act in good faith to ensure its effective implementation, particularly, the immediate cessation of all support to armed groups operating not only within the DRC, but within the entire conflict affected area. The A3+ strongly believes that the Peace, Security and Cooperation Framework (PSC-F) for the DRC and the Great Lakes Region, remains critical in providing an effective mechanism for resolving conflicts and restoring peace and sustainable development in the region.
The A3+ is again calling on all Congolese and foreign armed groups to immediately and unconditionally lay down their arms and engage in the disarmament process and particularly encourage resumption of the Nairobi process as a platform for the inter Congolese dialogue.
To this end, the A3+ commends the relentless and dynamic posture of regional leaders including Presidents João Lourenço of Angola, Salva Kiir of the South Sudan, Chair of EAC, and former President Uhuru Kenyatta, in intensifying the Luanda and Nairobi Peace Processes. We therefore urge all the parties to seize this opportunity now to silence the guns and give peace, security and development a chance to subsist in the region.
The A3+ further underscores the relevance and the critical need for coordination and complementarity of the political processes as highlighted, among others, in, the communiqué of the 11th high-level meeting of the Regional Oversight Mechanism (ROM) of the Peace, Security and Cooperation Framework (PSC-F), as well as the communiqué of the Quadripartite Summit involving the EAC, ECCAS, ICGLR and SADC, under the auspices of the AU.
The Great Lakes Region has significant mineral resources which, if properly managed, could provide the countries in the region with opportunities to structurally transform their economies and build an area of shared prosperity. In this regard, the A3+ supports the timely implementation of the UN Strategy for Peace Consolidation, Conflict Prevention and Conflict Resolution in the Great Lakes Region, which aims to prevent the illicit exploitation and trade of natural resources in the DRC and in the region, to ensure transparent management of its natural resources. We commend efforts by the Office of the Special Envoy to advance sustainable economic development as a pathway for peace in the region to enable thehundreds of thousands of young men and women adversely affected by the conflict, to receive benefits from the natural resources.
To conclude, Madam President, the A3+ wishes to thank Special Envoy Huang Xia for his support to regional peace efforts and the implementation of the PSC Framework. We reiterate that a political solution remains the most viable means of restoring peace in the DRC and the Great Lakes Region.
For this reason, we remain fully supportive of the planned revitalization of the PSC Framework, and reaffirm our commitment to the independence, unity, sovereignty and territorial integrity of the countries of the region.
I thank you.
