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His Excellency (Rtd) President Uhuru Kenyatta, Facilitator of the East African
Community (EAC)-led Nairobi Peace Process has today met with the Special
Envoy of the UN Secretary-General for the Great Lakes Region Huang Xia, in
a meeting attended by teams from the Special Envoy and the Office of the
Facilitator led by Ambassador Macharia Kamau.
The Special Envoy briefed the Facilitator on his continued work on the Great
Lakes, focusing on the situation in the region. He emphasized his readout
from his consultations in London, Paris, Brussels, and Moscow and continued
talks with the regional Heads of State.
Huang Xia emphasized a growing concern about the situation in the Great
Lakes, especially the eastern DRC, even though there has been significant
improvement since the commencement of the Nairobi Process.
The Special Envoy indicated that his current series of consultations were in
preparation for his briefing to the UN Security Council next week in New
York, as well as his preparation for the Regional Oversight Mechanism of the
African Union Peace and Security Council Framework meeting (ROM)
scheduled for Bujumbura, Burundi on May 6, 2023.
In his response, the former President of Kenya, in his capacity as the
Facilitator of the East African Community Peace Process, welcomed the
Special Envoy and indicated that he continues to be grateful for the support
his Office receives from the Special Envoy’s Office and was particularly happy
to learn that the Office would continue to support the Office of the Facilitator
more profoundly and expansively moving forward.
In feedback and discussions, the Facilitator emphasized that the situation in
the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) remains of grave concern,
particularly concerning the humanitarian and security dimensions. In this
regard, the Facilitator stressed that the critical challenge has been building
trust between the various fighting elements and governments, as well as the
communities, especially those affected by the insecurity in the region.
The issue of trust remains fundamental to resolving the challenge of security
in the eastern DRC. Therefore, it was clear that the Nairobi Process would
have to intensify its confidence-building actions. This would be one of the
key aims of the Facilitator’s work in the next few weeks, particularly as a
build-up to the Nairobi IV Process.
The Facilitator emphasized the need for support not only to the Political
Track of the Nairobi Process but also to the Military Track and to reinforce a
neutral force to buttress the political efforts. The East African Regional Force
(EAC-RF) must continue to enjoy the confidence of all parties if it is to be
successful in its mandate. The Facilitator emphasized that the role of the
Regional Force as an inter-positional army would need to be re-emphasized
and accepted by all parties.
The Facilitator also emphasized that the issue regarding the humanitarian
condition of the population remains of dire concern and requires greater
attention and support from the international community. Furthermore, the
situation of the refugees and the internally displaced people concerning their
security, relocation, resettlement, and rebuilding of their lives and livelihoods
remains a vital concern of the Facilitator.
In this regard, the Facilitator emphasized that in addition to the Political
Track and the Military Track, it was clear that the Nairobi Process would also
need heightened attention to the refugee and internally displaced person’s
track, which would now be the third leg of the Nairobi Process moving
forward. This track would ultimately be complimented by a development
track that would embed and secure the progress achieved when peace is
attained.
The meeting also discussed the challenges facing the various cantonment of
the various armed groups, particularly with regard to securing them,
providing water, food, accommodation, and security, etc., and he
emphasized the need for the continued coordination between the Luanda
Process and the Nairobi Process; something that is fundamental to the
success and building peace in the eastern DRC.
The importance of limiting the diversity of engagements and mechanisms in
the eastern DRC, particularly in limiting new bilateral and multilateral
initiatives that tend to make the situation of peacebuilding in the eastern
DRC complex and confusing and that burden the coordination process was
also discussed in the meeting.
The Facilitator emphasized the importance of mobilizing the international
community around the EAC-led Process, which is embedded with the Luanda
Process as the best way forward for achieving the aims of building peace in
the eastern DRC.
The meeting ended with a commitment to continued cooperation between
the Special Envoy and the Facilitator.
Thursday, April 13, 2023.
OFFICE OF THE FACILITATOR OF THE EAC-LED NAIROBI PEACE
PROCESS.
NAIROBI, KENYA.