African parliamentarians meeting in Lomé condemn Rwanda over eastern DR Congo
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on Beto
Meeting in Lomé, the African Parliamentary Union (UPA) unanimously adopted a motion in support of DR Congo, condemning Rwanda and the AFC/M23 coalition for their involvement in the conflict in eastern DR Congo. The motion was presented by the Djiboutian delegation at the close of the 86th session of the executive committee, according to Beto.
The African Parliamentary Union (UPA) unanimously approved, on Saturday 14 November in Lomé, a motion in support of DR Congo, which condemns Rwanda and its allies in the AFC/M23 for their role in the conflict in eastern Congo. The text also calls for the restoration of peace in the region.
The motion was submitted by the representative of Djibouti on behalf of the African parliamentary delegations at the close of the 86th session of the Executive Committee and the 48th Conference of Presidents of African National Parliaments. It reiterates in particular commitments from the Kinshasa Declaration, adopted a year earlier, on the security crises in Sudan, Mali and eastern DR Congo.
Speaking on the occasion, the president of the DR Congo’s Senate, Jean-Michel Sama Lukonde, denounced the violence attributed to Rwanda and the AFC/M23, as well as its consequences for civilians in the east of the country. He also presented the Front for the Refoundation of the Nation (FRN) as a new name used by the AFC political-military coalition. The motion comes after accusations of escalation between the FRN-M23 and the Armed Forces of DR Congo (FARDC) in South Kivu, reported on 14 November between the FRN-M23 and the FARDC.
