UN Envoy Olusegun Obasanjo Making Progress In Congo DRC
Wednesday, 11 November 2009 18:29
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 By Rabiu Mohammed
Olusegun
Obasanjo, Nigeria's former President and UN Special Envoy to the Great
Lakes Region, said the situation in the eastern Democratic Republic of
the Congo (DRC) had been "dramatically transformed.
"The crisis
that plagued eastern DRC last year and threatened to engulf the entire
region has now eased," Obasanjo told reporters Monday, shortly after he
addressed the UN Security Council in New York.
He noted that
peace was returning to the region, a year after himself and
co-mediator, former Tanzanian leader, Benjamin Mkapa, took up the
challenge to find solutions to the crisis in eastern DRC.
He
expressed appreciation that the humanitarian situation was improving,
saying "many Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) are now returning to
their homes."
The former Nigerian leader, however, said some of
the factors that led to the fighting and the displacement of thousands
of people must still be dealt with.
"What we have successfully
treated were only the symptoms, not the underlying ailments that have
led to repeated crises in the region," Obasanjo said.
"Without dealing effectively with the underlying issues, peace can neither be durable nor irreversible," he added.
He
listed the issues to be addressed to include institutional reforms and
capacity building, covering the military, para-military and civil
organisations, promoting good governance, refugee and land matters,
mineral exploration and exploitat i on and national reconciliation
mechanism.
Obasanjo also cited the transformation of the CNDP
and other armed groups into political parties and a "notable warming in
regional relationships, particularly between the leaders of DRC and
Rwanda," as some of the gains of the agreements.
He recalled
that the relationships in the region had been so fractured at this time
last year that Presidents Joseph Kabila and Paul Kagame of Rwanda would
neit her shake hands nor speak to one another when they attended an
emergency summit in Nairobi last November.
Asked what gave him
hope for the future, the former Nigerian leader said it was the
rapprochement between the DRC and Rwanda and between the two leaders.
He
further noted that, "the fruits of which have been seen in, among other
actions, the joint operation against the Democratic Forces for the
Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR), an armed militia involved in clashes in
North Kivu.
"Generally, an atmosphere of detente and cooperation
has developed in the region," he told reporters, adding that the 23
March agreements had prepared the foundation for peace and order.
The
UN special envoy also said he was now working to retool his existing
support office in Nairobi, Kenya, as a small, dedicated "listening
post" that would continue to assess the implementation of the 23 March
agreements and regional rapprochement.
Obasanjo had earlier told
the UN Security Council members that next month, his senior special
adviser, would lead a team to the DRC to make a further assessment of
the progress.
Obasanjo and Mkapa will, at the end of January next year, submit a final report to AU leaders on the peace process in the DRC.
The
former Nigerian leader had before the Security Council briefing, held a
closed-door meeting with UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.
More
than 300,000 people were uprooted last year in the region as the
Congolese national armed forces, known as the FARDC, battled with the
mainly Tutsi National Congress for People's Defence (CNDP), formerly
led by renegade general Laurent Nkunda.
However, months of
negotiations, facilitated by Obasanjo and Mkapa, resulted in the 23
March signing of the peace agreements between the DRC government, the
CNDP and the other armed groups.
Prince Charles Dickson
Editor, burningpot.com Nigeria's 1st Online Newspaper
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