SAFAR 21 1431 A.H.
FRIDAY FEBRUARY 5, 2010.
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Mission accomplished, as peace returns to Congo, Rwanda -- Obasanjo
Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has said that his mission to broker peace between Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo has ended, as peace returns to the two central African countries.
Obasanjo told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Addis Ababa that the armed conflict between Rwanda and DR Congo reached a crescendo in 2008.
He said that the situation compelled UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon to appoint him a special envoy to the area.
He said that the AU and the Great Lakes Region also appointed him and former Tanzanian President Benjamin Mkapa as co-facilitators of the peace mission to the area.
``Now, the situation has been on the reverse and even the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) have started returning home,’’ he said.
Obasanjo said that the Congress Nationale Du Peuple (CNDP), led by Kusugu, which was formerly fighting against the Congolese army, had now been integrated into the Congolese army.
He said that the Congolese and Rwandan forces came together and fought against the LDR forces, which had committed genocide.
Obasanjo also said that the bilateral relation existing between DR Congo and Rwanda, which was seriously strained by November last year, had now been normalised.
``As far as we are concerned, we can say that the situation that brought me in as special envoy and a co-facilitator has ceased to exist; we should not become irritants.
``In November, when I briefed the UN Security Council and the UN Secretary General, I indicated that since our task has been completed, we should stand down but we should remain alert,’’ he said.
Obasanjo warned that most of the recurring factors behind the DR Congo-Rwanda crisis had not been addressed, stressing the need to address them in order to achieve lasting peace in the area.
He, nonetheless, said that that he briefed the AU and the leadership of the Great Lakes Region on Feb. 1 about the intentions of his peace team to stand down.
``What remains is to produce a final report for the UN Secretary General; then, our job is signed, sealed and delivered,’’ he said.
