I. Introduction
- The present report is submitted pursuant to Security Council resolution 2211 (2015), in which the Council requested me to report on the implementation of the commitments under the Peace, Security and Cooperation Framework for the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Region.1 It covers developments since the issuance of my report of 22 September 2015 (S/2015/735) and provides information on peace and security developments in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Great Lakes region until 29 February 2016.
II. Major developments
A. Political and security developments
2. The Peace, Security and Cooperation Framework is entering its third year of implementation. Progress in the implementation of regional and national commitments remains limited, while the continued presence of illegal armed groups, including the Forces démocratiques de libération du Rwanda (FDLR), the Allied Democratic Forces, the Forces de résistance patriotiques de l’Ituri (FRPI) and several Mai-Mai militias, continues to threaten the security and stability of the region and negatively affects the implementation of the Framework. Furthermore, there was little progress towards the repatriation and demobilization of ex-combatants, including from the former Mouvement du 23 mars (M23) and FDLR, registered during the reporting period. The crisis in Burundi and its far-reaching impact have also contributed to the deterioration of the political, security and humanitarian situation in the region.
3. Notwithstanding the aforementioned challenges, the region witnessed some positive developments during the reporting period. These included largely peaceful general elections in the Central African Republic, Uganda and the United Republic of Tanzania. The Office of my Special Envoy, together with the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region (ICGLR), the African Union and other partners, organized the first Great Lakes Private Sector Investment Conference in Kinshasa on 24 and 25 February 2016. The highly successful event attracted some 500 participants, including government officials, private sector actors, development partners and experts. I attended the opening ceremony, alongside President Joseph Kabila of the Democratic Republic of the Congo; the Vice-President of Angola, representing the Chair of ICGLR; and the African Union Commissioner for Infrastructure and Energy, representing the Chairperson of the African Union Commission.
4. Another significant development was the signing, on 28 January, by the Government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO) of a technical arrangement related to the resumption of military cooperation between the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (Forces armées de la République démocratique du Congo (FARDC)) and MONUSCO.
5. With regard to the neutralization of armed groups in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, FARDC continued operations against FDLR, the Allied Democratic Forces and FRPI, as indicated in my reports on MONUSCO issued in December 2015 (S/2015/1031) and March 2016. At the twelfth meeting of the Technical Support Committee of the Peace, Security and Cooperation Framework, held in Nairobi on 14 January 2016, the Congolese delegation reported that, of the Congolese Government’s estimate of 1,200 FDLR combatants, 1,150 had been neutralized. Among those, 150 were awaiting repatriation to Rwanda. The delegation further attributed the recent upsurge in violations and abuses in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo to the remaining FDLR elements, the breakaway FDLR-Ralliement pour l’unité et la démocratie, Nduma Defence of Congo/Guidon (NDC/Guidon) and other groups with alleged ties to the former M23. During the meeting, the Congolese delegation also reiterated its call on the international community to help identify third countries for relocation of FDLR combatants and dependants who had surrendered but were unwilling to return to Rwanda. The delegation stressed the urgent need to repatriate or relocate to third countries all ex-FDLR combatants and dependants currently in transit camps in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
6. Almost two years after the signing of the Nairobi Declarations by the Government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the former M23 rebel group, implementation remains stalled. Hundreds of ex-M23 combatants are yet to be repatriated from Rwanda and Uganda.
7. On 23 October 2015, ex-M23 political leader Bertrand Bisimwa issued a statement asserting that the former rebel group would not continue to honour its commitments under the Nairobi Declarations on the grounds that the Government had deliberately refused to implement its part of the agreement. He further stated that the former rebel group would not accept any attempt to repatriate ex-combatants outside the provisions of the Nairobi Declarations. Mr. Bisimwa also communicated similar messages to the Chairs of ICGLR and the Southern African Development Community (SADC), respectively. He further noted that failure to fully implement past agreements between the Government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and rebel movements had ultimately caused the outbreak of new rebellions.
8. On 24 October 2015, the National Oversight Mechanism of the Democratic Republic of the Congo issued a communiqué in reaction to the statement by the former rebel group. The National Oversight Mechanism denounced the lack of will by ex-M23 leaders and recalled the Congolese Government’s efforts to fulfil its commitments, notably by promulgating an amnesty law in February 2014 and by initiating the repatriation of consenting ex-M23 combatants. The National Oversight Mechanism also recalled the decision by the sixth high-level meeting of the Regional Oversight Mechanism, warning ex-M23 leaders against obstructing the repatriation process. On 10 November, Mr. Bisimwa appointed Désiré Rwigema as the new ex-M23 coordinator tasked to oversee the implementation of the Nairobi Declarations in close coordination with the National Oversight Mechanism.
Mr. Rwigema replaced René Abandi, who had stepped down as coordinator in January 2015 and is now in charge of transforming the former rebel group into a political party.
9. In order to overcome these challenges, the leaders of the region have continued to push for the implementation of the Nairobi Declarations. On 18 November 2015, the Ministers of Defence of ICGLR member States met in Kinshasa to discuss this matter, in compliance with the decision of the ninth ICGLR Extraordinary Summit of Heads of State and Government held in Luanda on 18 May 2015. The Ministers reviewed the calendar for the repatriation of the remaining ex-M23 combatants in Uganda and noted that repatriation should commence on 1 December 2015 and be concluded by 15 December 2015. Following this decision, a task force, comprising representatives of the ICGLR secretariat, the Government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Uganda People’s Defence Force, the Ministry of Defence of Angola (as Chair of ICGLR), MONUSCO and the Office of my Special Envoy, visited Bihanga camp in Uganda from 3 to 15 December 2015.\
10. During the visit, the delegation was informed that 646 ex-M23 combatants were present, 490 were recorded as absent, 14 had been admitted to a hospital, 29 had received permission to leave the camp, 9 were in Kampala, 5 were under arrest for crimes and various wrongdoings and 4 had died. The task force urged the ex-M23 combatants present to seize the opportunity to return to the Democratic Republic of the Congo. In response, ex-M23 combatants appealed to the witnesses/guarantors of the Peace, Security and Cooperation Framework not to focus solely on the issue of repatriation and to ensure instead that all provisions of the Nairobi Declarations are fully implemented. Following the field mission, 13 ex-M23 combatants were repatriated to the Kamina military base in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, with the support of MONUSCO. This brought the number of ex-M23 combatants repatriated from Uganda to a total of 195. A total of 309 ex-M23 combatants are still present in Rwanda. No repatriation from Rwanda took place during the period under review. The aforementioned task force visited Rwanda on 23 and 24 September 2015. During the visit, the Ministers of Defence of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Rwanda met bilaterall y and issued a joint communiqué on 24 September (see para. 24 below).
11. On the political front, on 28 November 2015, President Joseph Kabila announced the convening of a national dialogue to discuss forthcoming electoral processes in the country. Some opposition groups and civil society organizations opposed the President’s proposal for a dialogue. On 4 January 2016, the Episcopal Conference of the Democratic Republic of the Congo also called for a national dialogue and announced the formation of a special committee tasked with maintaining contact with political parties, encouraging mutual trust and advancing initiatives aimed at enhancing the electoral process. On 14 January, the African Union issued a statement supporting the national dialogue and urging all Congolese to reach a consensus that would preserve the gains made in the areas of peace, stability, security, development and democratization. The African Union further requested Edem Kodjo, former Prime Minister of Togo and member of the African Union Panel of the Wise, to travel to Kinshasa for consultations on the national dialogue. On 16 February, the African Union, the United Nations, the European Union and the Organisation internationale de la francophonie issued a joint statement urging all Congolese political actors to spare no effort, within the framework of the country’s Constitution, to ensure the successful holding of elections, preserve peace and deepen democracy, including through a political process. The four organizations also underscored the importance of dialogue and the need for political actors to reach an agreement that upholds democracy and the rule of law. In addition, they urged all Congolese political actors to extend their full cooperation to Mr. Kodjo.
12. The crisis in Burundi remained a focus of attention for the region and the international community during the period under review. On 28 December 2015, the President of Uganda, Yoweri Museveni, presided over the ceremony for the relaunching of the inter-Burundian dialogue in Entebbe, Uganda, on behalf of the East African Community (EAC). Participants included representatives of the Government of Burundi, the ruling National Council for the Defence of Democracy-Forces for the Defence of Democracy (CNDD-FDD) party, opposition actors from within and outside the country, civil society and faith-based organizations. Also in attendance were officials from the African Union, EAC, the European Union, the United Nations and the diplomatic corps. President Museveni encouraged the parties to engage in dialogue and to find a political solution to the ongoing crisis. He invited the parties to resume talks in Arusha, United Republic of Tanzania, on 6 January 2016. The Government of Burundi, however, expressed concern about the proposed date and the participants in the dialogue. Acting on behalf of President Museveni, the Minister of Defence of Uganda, Crispus Kiyonga, supported by the Tanzanian Minister for Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Augustin Mahiga, in his capacity as Chair of the EAC Council of Ministers, consulted the Government of Burundi in order to reach consensus on the resumption of the dialogue. At the time of finalization of the present report, consultations were still ongoing.
13. On 9 November, I appointed Jamal Benomar as my Special Adviser. Since his appointment, Mr. Benomar has focused his attention on coordinating United Nations efforts to help resolve the crisis in Burundi. He travelled to Burundi several times and met senior Government officials, opposition leaders, civil society and the diplomatic corps. He also visited Uganda to engage the Facilitator of the EAC-led dialogue and travelled to Rwanda and the African Union headquarters in Ethiopia.
14. The situation in Burundi also featured prominently in the agenda of the meetings of the Inter-Ministerial Committees of Defence and Foreign Affairs of the ICGLR held in Luanda on 10 and 11 February 2016. The Ministers of Defence and Ministers for Foreign Affairs of ICGLR member States reviewed the security situation in the region, notably in Burundi, the Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and South Sudan. The Ministers for Foreign Affairs also took the opportunity to review a list of candidates for the post of Executive Secretary of ICGLR to replace Alphonse Ntumba Luaba of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, whose tenure ended in December 2015. At the request of the Government of Angola, the sixth Ordinary Summit of the ICGLR was rescheduled to the end of March 2016.
