Regional MPs to deploy peace observers

By Umaru Kashaka

KAMPALA - Members of Parliament from the Great Lakes region have resolved to deploy peace observers to monitor peace efforts in the region.

Addressing a press conference at Parliament, Uganda’s representative on the executive committee of the Forum of Parliaments for the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region (FP-ICGLR), Onyango Kakoba (Buikwe North) said the decision was made at the end of a two-day Seventh Ordinary Session in Kigali, Rwanda recently.

“The executive committee plans, within the framework of the parliamentary diplomacy, to deploy observation missions in member states of the ICGLR where both political and security situations constitute a threat against peace and security in the entire Great Lakes Region,” the legislator said.

The main concerns raised during the meeting, he said, were the security situation in the eastern DR Congo, Sudan, South Sudan, and the Central African Republic.

“Despite the presence of the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in DRC (MONUSCO), security remains extremely poor.

"We are worried about the insecurity in the DRC because the rest of the region can’t be at peace when this country is in turmoil,” MP Kakoba noted.

Recent fighting between M23 rebels and the Congolese army, allegedly backed by FDLR militia, has seen thousands of refugees cross over into Rwanda.

The MPs also called on the 12 member states of ICGLR, the African Union, and the UN to support the government of the Central African Republic in its efforts to restore peace and security, restore the authority of the State on the entire national territory, alleviate the suffering of civilians, and bring an end to violation of human rights.

Violence erupted in CAR in December 2012 when the Séléka rebels launched attacks on the country’s capital before taking power.

On January 11, now-deposed President François Bozizé and representatives of the Seleka rebels signed an agreement in Libreville, Gabon, after three days of negotiations brokered by regional neighbours.

However, the deal collapsed, and Michel Djotodia, leading thousands of Seleka rebels, captured Bangui and proclaimed himself President on March 24, forcing Bozizé into exile.