Nairobi, Apr 14 (IANS): The humanitarian and security situation in eastern Congo remains precarious hence the need for speedy political and military intervention to pacify the volatile region, a regional peace mediator said.
Uhuru Kenyatta, the former Kenyan President and facilitator of the East African Community (EAC)-led Nairobi Peace Process, said on Thursday that eastern Congo remained volatile despite concerted efforts to end skirmishes pitting rebels against multinational troops.
"Building trust among combatants including rebels, the government and communities affected by insecurity in the eastern parts of Congo remained a challenge," Kenyatta said in a statement issued in Nairobi, the capital of Kenya, after meeting with Xia Huang, the UN Secretary-General's special envoy for the Great Lakes region.
He added that the EAC-led Nairobi Peace Process will in the next few weeks intensify confidence-building activities targeting combatants as a means to secure long-term stability in eastern Congo, Xinhua news agency reported.
In addition, Kenyatta during his meeting with Xia stressed the need for support toward the Political and Military Tracks of the Nairobi Process, adding that the East African Regional Force should be supported by all parties to the peace process in the eastern Congo and help it achieve its mandate of pacifying the region.
The former Kenyan President said the humanitarian situation for refugees and internally displaced persons in eastern Congo remained dire, requiring urgent intervention from the international community. He emphasised that enhancing security, relocation, resettlement and rebuilding of livelihoods for refugees and internally displaced persons should inform efforts to realise durable peace and stability in eastern Congo.
Other discussions that featured during Kenyatta's meeting with Xia focused on challenges facing the cantonment of armed groups, especially in regard to securing them and providing them with food, water and accommodation.
Xia briefed Kenyatta on his continued work to secure lasting peace and stability in the Great Lakes region, and in particular Congo, while disclosing he was engaged in high-level consultations ahead of his briefing to the UN Security Council in New York next week.