{UN Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for Great Lakes Region Said Djinnit has commended the country for its role in promoting peace and stability in the region.}
According to the statement availed to The Guardian on Sunday from the office of the Special envoy of the Secretary-General for the Great Lakes United Nations Office in Nairobi, the special envoy praised Tanzania’s role as a peace-broker in the region.
The envoy was on his two day familiarization visit to signatory countries of the peace, security and cooperation (PSC) framework for the Democratic Republic of Congo and the great lakes region.
According to the Public Information Officer, Office of the special envoy Penangnini Toure while in Tanzania, Djinnit met President Jakaya Kikwete and foreign Affairs Minister Bernard Membe where they discussed the implementation of the PSC-framework and the urgent need to tackle negative forces in eastern DRC’s Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR.
He said other issues discussed included the repatriation of former M23 combatants from Uganda and Rwanda in line with a peace deal signed in Nairobi, Kenya, in December 2013.
He said the envoy also exchanged views on the forthcoming joint ministerial meeting of the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region (ICGLR) and the Southern African Development Community (SADC) scheduled on October 20, in Luanda, Angola, to assess progress on the FDLR voluntary disarmament process.
Other issues in discussion also consisted of the need to strengthen regional cooperation and build confidence in ICGLR, SADC and EAC, member states where Tanzania is playing a key role in peace initiatives.
“Tanzanian troops in the United Nations Force Intervention Brigade (FIB) have contributed immensely in maintaining stability in eastern DRC, and I commend the dedication of men and women of the FIB troops contributing countries assigned to this crucial task,” he said.
He also commended the people and Tanzania government for offering asylum, support and protection to refugees from different countries in the great lakes region including offering citizenship to 165,000 Burundian refugees who fled their country since 1972.
SOURCE: GUARDIAN
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