United Nations Radio

The Democratic Republic of Congo and the Great Lakes region will need the continued political and material support of the Security Council in bringing about durable peace.

Olusegun Obasanjo

The view was expressed Thursday by Special Envoy for the Great Lakes region Olusegun Obasanjo during a briefing to the Council.

He says significant challenges remain among them: "the pace of dialogue still remains slow". Second he says, the National Congress for the Defense of the People of rebel leader Laurent Nkunda is insisting that the dialogue remains a bilateral one with the government, even though the Goma Acts of Engagement was signed by more than 20 armed groups.

The special envoy points to a third point which he says is the long term presence foreign armed groups on Congolese soil.

"The momentum generated for peace so far cannot - must not and will not be allowed to die. The people of the eastern DRC who have suffered so much and for so long, warrant better than that. They deserve and they demand a full and lasting peace. Africa and the world must help make that peace a reality in the DRC and the whole of the Great Lakes region."

Obasanjo says while much has been accomplished, much remains to be done.

Donn Bobb, United Nations Radio

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