By Godfrey Olukya 5-9-2013
There is a joint visit of the special envoys and representatives of the UN, AU, US and EU to the Great Lakes region under a theme,”
International Solidarity for Peace and Development.
The visit started on September 3rd and will go up to 7th September 2013.
Demonstrating commitment, solidarity and coherence of the international community in support of the Peace, Security and
Cooperation Framework of 24 February 2013 is the message of the visit.
This joint visit involves Mary Robinson, Special Envoy of the Secretary-General to the Great Lakes Region, Martin Kobler, Special
Representative of the Secretary-General in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Boubacar Diarra, AU Special Representative for the Great Lakes, Russell Feingold, US Special Envoy for the Great Lakes and the DRC, and Koen Vervaeke, EU Senior Coordinator to the Great Lakes Region.
The Special Envoys said ‘We encourage the parties to reinvigorate the implementation of their commitments under the Peace, Security and Cooperation Framework, and in accordance with UN Security Council resolution 2098.’
They traveled to the region to encourage the de-escalation of tensions in eastern DRC, and to identify and support confidence-building
measures between Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda. They urge all parties to bring the Kampala Dialogue to a positive and swift conclusion, in order to move to a broader process addressing the deeper causes of the conflict.
The visit began in Kinshasa on 4 September, and will include visits to Goma and Kigali as well as attendance at the Extraordinary Summit of the ICGLR in Kampala today convened by its chair, President Yoweri Museveni of Uganda.
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