UN chief urges Security Council to support DRC’s peace agreement

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon on Tuesday urged the Security Council to back the Framework for Peace, Security and Cooperation for the Democratic Republic of Congo and Africa’s Great Lakes region. “Signing the framework is the beginning, not an end,” Ban said. In the Security Council meeting he presented the agreement, signed January 24 in Addis Ababa by 11 countries in the Great Lakes region to respect each other’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. The countries pledged not to support armed groups that have caused conflict and atrocities in the region. The agreement, supported by the African Union and other regional groups, established a mechanism to monitor implementation. An international military brigade, consisting of more than 2,000 soldiers, will help enforce the agreement and take action against armed groups plaguing Congo’s eastern provinces. Hundreds of thousands of civilians have lost their homes and livelihoods because of the conflict. Ban asked the council to authorize the deployment of the brigade and give it the necessary backing to perform its tasks.