Declaration of the summit of Heads of State and Government of the member States of ICGLR on the security situation in Eastern Congo

State House Uganda - New

DECLARATION OF THE SUMMIT OF HEADS OF STATE AND GOVERNMENT OF THE MEMBER STATES OF ICGLR ON THE SECURITY SITUATION IN EASTERN CONGO

7th EXTRAORDINARY SUMMIT OF THE HEADS OF STATE AND GOVERNMENT

KAMPALA, UGANDA      5TH SEPTEMBER, 2013

PREAMBLE

We, Heads of State and Government of the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region (ICGLR), meeting in Kampala, on 5 September, 2013 at the invitation of H.E. Mr. Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, President of the Republic of Uganda and Chairman of the ICGLR Summit, to discuss the worsening security situation in Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo;

Recalling the decisions made during our Extraordinary Summit, held in Nairobi on 31 July 2013;

Gravely concerned with the resumption of hostilities in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and the worsening security and humanitarian crisis that has resulted in continued deaths of civilians, displacement and suffering of populations;

Further concerned that this new escalation of hostilities is an obstacle to the implementation of the Nairobi Extraordinary Summit Declaration of 31 July 2013, and a threat to regional peace and security;

Having received reports from the Meetings of the Committee of Ministers of Defence and the Regional Inter ministerial Committee (RIMC) on the security situation in Eastern DRC, in particular recommendations on addressing the renewed fighting and the consequent security and humanitarian crises;

Welcoming and fully supporting other ongoing international efforts to address the crisis in Eastern DRC in particular the UN Framework for Peace, Security and Cooperation for the DRC and the Region, signed in Addis Ababa on 24 February 2013, the UN Security Council Resolution 2098 adopted on 28 March 2013, and reaffirming our support for the mandate of the UN Special Envoy of the Secretary General to the Great Lakes region;

Reiterating our relentless commitment to find lasting solutions to the prolonged security crisis in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo in the spirit of the Pact on Security, Stability and Development;

Reaffirming our support to the ongoing Dialogue in Kampala, Uganda, between the Government of the Democratic Republic of Congo and M23, mediated by the current Chairman of the ICGLR in line with the decisions we made at our Extraordinary Summit held here in Kampala on 24 November 2012;

Commending the untiring efforts by H.E. President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, Chairman of the ICGLR Summit in the search for a lasting solution to the security and humanitarian crisis in Eastern DRC and encouraging him to continue his efforts;

HEREBY DECIDE AS FOLLOWS:

1. Strongly condemn the recent  bombings in Munigi and Goma in DRC that have resulted in the death of a Senior UN officer attached to the Intervention Brigade, hundreds of civilians as well as the injury of UN  military officers and civilians, and task the Expanded Joint Verification Mechanism (EJVM) to undertake immediate investigations and provide the report thereof to the Committee of Ministers of Defence of the ICGLR as soon as possible;

2. Strongly condemn the recent bombings from DRC territory that have resulted in the deaths of civilians in the territory of Rwanda and direct the EJVM to complete the verification process and provide a report to the Chairperson of the Committee of Ministers of Defence as soon as possible;

3. Direct that the Kampala Dialogue resumes within 3 days after this Extra-ordinary Summit and conclude within a maximum period of 14 days during which maximum restraint must be exercised on the ground to allow for talks to conclude. The Chairman will keep in touch with his colleagues on the progress of the Dialogue;

4. M23 should put an end to all military activities, and stop war and threats of overthrowing the lawful Government of DRC;

5. Commit to continue exerting pressure together with our partners in particular the Intervention Brigade, on the M23 and all other Negative Forces in Eastern DRC to ensure they stop war;

6. Accept the request by MONUSCO to have permanent representation in the Expanded Joint Verification Mechanism (EJVM), and appeal to MONUSCO to provide logistical support to the EJVM to enable it to carry out its mandate effectively;

7. Direct the Committee of Ministers of Defence to develop guidelines for legal and diplomatic protection of officers of ICGLR Mechanisms in line with international standards and develop a code of conduct for officers serving in such stations;

8. Direct the Executive Secretary to fast track the release of the funds donated to the EJVM by the European Union through the African Union and commit to honour our financial obligations to the EJVM;

9. Express strong concern on the ongoing humanitarian crisis exacerbated by the recent fighting in eastern DRC and call on the international community to provide urgent humanitarian assistance including food, medicine, tents etc;

10. Request the United Nations System to urgently find a definitive solution to the former M23 combatants interned in eastern Rwanda since March 2013;

11. Accept the proposal by the SADC Summit held in Lilongwe on 17 -18 August 2013 on convening a joint SADC-ICGLR Summit on the Great Lakes Region and directed the ICGLR Executive Secretary to liaise with the SADC Executive Secretary to organise the Summit.