"RDC - M23: l'accord-cadre de l'ONU signé 'avant la fin de février'"

February 21, 2013

French Article Translation of the Week

"RDC - M23: l'accord-cadre de l'ONU signé 'avant la fin de février'"

"Rapportant des propos du secrétaire général des Nations unies, le Premier ministre de RDC, Augustin Matata Ponyo, a indiqué que l'accord-cadre de l'ONU pour la pacification des Grands Lacs devrait être signé avant la fin du mois de février."

"Relaying remarks from the Secretary General of the UN, Augustin Matata Ponyo, Prime Minister of the DRC, said the U.N. framework agreement for peace in the Great Lakes should be signed before the end of February."

This article has been translated from French. Click here to read the original version onJeuneAfrique.com.

Relaying remarks from the Secretary General of the UN, Augustin Matata Ponyo, Prime Minister of the DRC, said the U.N. framework agreement for peace in the Great Lakes should be signed before the end of February.

At the last summit of the African Union on 28 January, South Africa was strongly opposed to the signing of the U.N. Framework Agreement on Cooperation for Peace and Security in the Great Lakes. However, according to the Prime Minister of the DRC, who spoke Thursday, February 14, "the [UN] Secretary-General has assured us that enormous progress has been made and it should, if all goes to plan, be signed before the end of this month. "

"The framework agreement is an agreement that will be able to cement peace in the east because [it] shall be the basis upon which all of the machinery that seeks to consolidate peace in the east shall function," he added. Apart from the DRC, seven countries are expected to be signatories: Rwanda, Uganda, Burundi, Angola, Congo, South Africa, and Tanzania.

Diplomatic Efforts

It seems that the diplomatic efforts of the United States have paid off, but no information has been delivered on a possible conciliatory position for South Africa. On Monday, the U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Africa, Johnnie Carson, urged "the DRC, Rwanda, Uganda and other countries in the region to sign and implement the United Nations framework agreement as soon as possible."

Augustin Matata Ponyo also mentioned the "redevelopment" of the mandate of the UN Mission in the DRC (MONUSCO) – which boasts 17,000 men and which must be assigned a subregional intervention brigade of 2,500 men. This change could gain Pretoria's approval for the framework agreement.

Drone Acquisition

The Prime Minister also said that the process of acquiring drones [monitoring Rwandan-Congolese border, NDLR] has already been launched, and it is quite possible that by June-July, the drones be operational in identifying the movements of those who disturb the East" in the DRC.

Finally, the neutral International Force of 4000 men is to be deployed in eastern DRC, after receiving approval from Kinshasa and Kigali. According to the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of South Africa, Ebrahim Ebrahim, It will be made up of soldiers from nine countries: South Africa, Angola, Malawi, Namibia, Tanzania, Zambia, Lesotho, Mauritius, and Zimbabwe.