Zimbabwe: UN Envoy Meets President Mugabe

Source: The Herald via AllAfrica.com

By FariraiMachivenyika

27 January 2015 - United Nations Secretary-General Mr Ban Ki Moon's Special Envoy on the Great Lakes Region Mr Said Djinnit yesterday met President Mugabe at State House to brief and seek advice on the security situation in the volatile region.

MrDjinnit said he met the President in his capacity as Sadc chairperson.

"I came to meet the President as chairman of Sadc and brief him of my efforts I have been deploying since I took office last year and seek advice and support in the implementation of my mandate.

"I also took the opportunity to exchange views on the security situation in the Eastern Congo and the existence of a number of various armed groups there and call on the leaders in the region to deal decisively with the armed groups that have been committing violence against the people. They have been raping women, children and exploiting resources illegally," MrDjinnit said.

He added that President Mugabe pledged to assist him in bringing lasting peace to the region.

He also called on leaders in the Great Lakes to ensure that their resources were used in a manner that benefited their citizens.

The peace deal that is expected to bring total peace in the Eastern Congo was signed by DRC, Angola, Burundi, Central African Republic, Republic of Congo, Rwanda, South Africa, South Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia in Ethiopia with the UN, AU and Sadc acting as guarantors to the deal.

The mineral-rich Eastern DRC has been unstable for a long time with the DRC accusing Rwanda and Uganda of arming insurgents in the region.

Despite the signing of the peace deal, instability continues in the region.

MrDjinnit said they had also discussed the socio-economic situation in the region and Zimbabwe in particular and commended the President on the gains made in the country's education sector.