Regional countries demand immediate ceasefire in DRC, Sudan

LUANDA, Angola - Countries of the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region (ICGLR) on Saturday called for an immediate cessation of hostilities in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Sudan.

The ICGLR member states held a summit earlier in the day in Luanda, the capital of Angola, during which they emphasized the need to improve coordination and execution of the mechanism for monitoring and evaluating the March 23 Movement (M23) ceasefire and the withdrawal from occupied territories.

The communique released after the summit stressed the engagement of agreements reached in the Luanda and Nairobi processes and condemned any attempt by the M23 and other armed groups to reinforce themselves to resume hostilities in the occupied areas, reiterating the immediate disarmament and repatriation without conditions.

It said that Angola will host a summit between ICGLR, the Southern African Development Community, the Economic Community of Central African States and the East African Community, with the participation of the United Nations, under the coordination of the African Union.

The summit also condemned the conflict in Sudan, calling for the reactivation of the peace process in Sudan to find a lasting solution, and welcomed efforts by the African Union, the Intergovernmental Authority on Development, and other African sub-regional organizations, underlying the need for Africa's leadership and coordination of efforts.

In addition to Felix Tshisekedi, president of the DRC, and Edouard Ngirente, prime minister of Rwanda, the summit was attended by President of the Central African Republic Faustin-Archange Touadera. Representatives from Burundi, Uganda, Kenya, South Sudan, the Republic of the Congo, Tanzania, Zambia and Sudan were also present at the meeting, representing their respective heads of state, according to the final communique. - XINHUA