The United States on Wednesday welcomed the peace agreement reached in the Democratic Republic of Congo’s (DRC) strife-torn Kivu provinces and urged all parties to ensure its prompt implementation.
”The US welcomes the signing of a peace agreement with the goal of helping bring lasting stability to eastern [DRC] and addressing the underlying causes of the conflict,” White House spokesperson Dana Perino said in a statement.
”We call on all parties to ensure urgent implementation of the agreement,” Perino said, adding that Washington, working with the international community, would ”continue to actively support the Congolese government’s commitment to achieve peace and prosperity in eastern [DRC]”.
Perino recalled that President George Bush ”recently met with President [Joseph] Kabila to discuss the importance of bringing peace to eastern [DRC] and commends Kabila’s leadership in securing this important agreement”.
The armed groups of North and South Kivu pledged to end all hostilities in the ”Actes d’engagement” they signed Wednesday in the city of Goma.
Kabila was present for the ceremony as delegates from other armed movements took turns signing the text, providing for a ceasefire and gradual troop withdrawals.
The document is the first public and official peace settlement for the two Kivu provinces, ravaged by conflict since the end of a war that raged across the whole DRC between 1998 and 2003. — Sapa-AFP