April 24, 2024
Madam President,
I wish to thank the Secretary-General’s Special Envoy, Xia Huang, the Assistant Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, Joyce Msuya, as well as Mrs Pétronille Vaweka for their statements.
I wish to focus on three points.
First and foremost, there is an urgent need to end the escalation which imperils the stability of the Great Lakes region.
As attested by the Secretary-General’s report, violence among armed groups and against civilian population is ongoing, and this has cost far too many casualties and resulted in forced displacement. In eastern DRC, it is our duty to address one of the most complex, longstanding and most acute humanitarian crises in the world, where women, young girls and children pay a disproportionate price.
The deployment and use of anti-aircraft systems on Congolese territory mark the crossing of a new threshold, and we condemn the operations of all armed groups in the east of the country.
France recalls three of the cardinal principles for the Framework Agreement for Peace and Stability in the region: not to support armed groups, to respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of neighboring states, neither to shelter nor protect those accused of crimes and violations of international law. These principles need to be respected by all parties.
My second message is simple: there can be no military solution to this crisis.
Only the implementation of commitments made within the framework of regional peace processes, in particular those of Luanda and Nairobi, will help to create the conditions for a lasting peace.
France supports regional efforts to achieve this, and we welcome the meeting of Congolese and Rwandan foreign ministers held in Luanda on March 21.
We encourage the parties to continue to rekindle dialogue, and we welcome the Congolese proposal for a plan to demobilize and disarm the FDLR, the militia group that committed the genocide against the Tutsis. Its implementation would help to restore trust between the DRC and Rwanda. We must also put an end to hate speech targeting certain communities, particularly the Tutsis.
We encourage the coordination of efforts initiated under the auspices of the African Union, through the quadripartite format.
My third point focuses on the whole of the United Nations system, which needs to be mobilized in order to restore peace.
The Security Council must shoulder fully its responsibilities, and France will continue to submit proposals to Council members to contribute to the restoration of peace and to sanction those who fuel conflict.
The Fund and the Peacebuilding Commission also have an important role to play in galvanizing funds and helping to generate coordinated initiatives to address the root causes of conflict. I would particularly mention the question of the return of former combatants as well as judicial cooperation.
Finally, we commend the work of Special Envoy Xia Huang and his Office for the Implementation of the United Nations Strategy for the Great Lakes Region, and all efforts towards revitalization of the Framework Agreement. We encourage him to continue his efforts.
Thank you.