{Regional leaders under the Inter Conference on Great Lakes Region (ICGLR) are set to meet their Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) counterparts in Pretoria, South Africa from today to find a common ground in putting an end to the DRC crisis. }
President Kabila’s military operations are being backed by Tanzania and South Africa – all members of SADC while the ICGLR is advocating for a political solution to the crisis that has left thousands of refugees stranded in deplorable camps in Uganda and Rwanda.
While SADC believes M23 should be crushed with military means, ICGLR leaders insist war has never been a solution to DRC’s problems and that both parties must resolve their issues on a round table.
The summit is expected to consider a report of the Joint Ministerial Meeting on the Implementation of the Peace, Security and Cooperation Framework for the Democratic Republic of Congo and the Region.
The Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO) said South Africa continues to play a significant role in peace and security activities at regional and continental levels in operations, both strategically and financially.
“This is based on the belief that regional peace, security and stability are key determinants for socio-economic development and a critical factor for regional integration. Regional integration is critical if we are to expand intra-Africa trade,” DIRCO said.
The summit, which takes place in Pretoria, will be preceded by ministerial and senior officials’ consultations today and tomorrow.
Meanwhile, South Africa will host a Consultative Summit on the African Capacity for Immediate Response to Crises (ACIRC) on Tuesday. The summit will be held at DIRCO’s OR Tambo Building in Pretoria.
The purpose of the summit will be to consult with volunteering countries that have expressed willingness to contribute to ACIRC. The meeting will consider the modalities for the operationalisation of ACIRC, said DIRCO.
During the May 2013 AU Summit, the Assembly of Heads of State and Government decided to establish ACIRC as a transitional arrangement pending the full operationalisation of the African Standby Force (ASF) and its Rapid Deployment Capability (RDC). This is within the framework of the agreed upon African Peace and Security Architecture.
The summit will be the first round of informal consultations between like-minded and willing contributing countries on the issue of rapid response to crises within the context of the proposed ASF. It is an interim measure to deal with conflict on the continent in the context of African solutions for African problems.
The expected outcome of the consultations is an agreed upon framework for modalities and to identify a roadmap for a way forward.
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