Special Envoy Djinnit advocates for a full implementation of the Addis Ababa peace agreement

Special Envoy Said Djinnit (5th from left with UNHCR cap) at Mahama camp, which currently hosts 74,349 refugees, mostly women and children, from Burundi

27 Aug 2015

Special Envoy Djinnit advocates for a full implementation of the Addis Ababa peace agreement

Nairobi, 27 August 2015 – The United Nations Special Envoy for the Great Lakes region, Said Djinnit, travelled to Kigali on 19-22 August 2015 to have discussions with government officials on the implementation of the Peace, Security and Cooperation Framework (PSCF) agreement, especially as regards the continued presence of armed groups, particularly the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR) in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The Framework agreement signed in 2013, outlines national, regional and international actions that aim to end violence and insecurity in the Great Lakes region.

The Special Envoy met with Louise Mushikiwabo, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Development; James Kabarebe, Minister of Defense; and Sheikh Mussa Fazil Harerimana, Minister of Internal Security. The two sides agreed that little progress has been achieved on the FDLR, and noted with great concern the increasing activities of the armed group and the danger it presents for regional peace and stability.

Last month, Special Envoy Djinnit travelled to Kisangani, eastern DRC, to witness the cantonment of FDLR elements and their families. While there, he welcomed the steps taken by the DRC, with the support of MONUSCO, to neutralize all the negative forces operating in the region, including the FDLR, the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) and the Front for Patriotic Resistance of Ituri (FRPI), and offered his support to the FDLR repatriation process. Parallel to the FDLR threat the Rwandan authorities also raised concern on the implementation of the Nairobi Declarations, as well as the fate of the combatants of the former M23 rebel movement. Rwanda currently hosts some 80,000 Congolese refugees linked to the M23.

While in Rwanda, Mr. Djinnit took the opportunity to visit Mahama camp, which hosts Burundian refugees. He welcomed the relief efforts provided by the Rwandan authorities and the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (HCR).