Decision on the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC)

DECISION ON THE DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO (PRC)
DOC. EX.CL/106 (V)

The Executive Council:

1. TAKES NOTE of the Chairperson of the AU Commission;

2. EXPRESSES ITS GRAVE CONCERN about the political situation prevailing in the DRC and which has, to a large extent, affected the normal functioning of the Transitional Institutions thereby contributing to the delay in the implementation of the comprehensive and All Inclusive Agreement;

3. ALSO EXPRESSES ITS STRONG condemnation of the attacks followed by the capture of the towns of Bukavu and Kamanyola, and the massacres perpetrated in these towns against innocent civilians by dissident officers of the Congolese national army as well as the attempted coup d’Etat in Kinshasa in the night of 27 to 28 March, and in the night of 10 to 11 June 2004;

4. RENEWS ITS SUPPORT to the on-going process in the country, as the only way of steering Congo out of the crisis in the Congo, reconciling the Congolese and establishing a new political order in the country to which the people and the parties in the peace process aspire. In this regard, Council FURTHER RENEWS ITS CONFIDENCE in the Government of national unity established on 30 June 2003 and URGES the stakeholders of the current peace process within the various transitional institutions to put the interest of Congolese and the future of Congo above all other considerations;

5. APPEALS to all the parties to the peace process as well as all the political forces in the country and Congolese civil society organizations to support the on-going process and to strive to facilitate the completion of the transition by organising in the course of 2005 and under the auspices of the international community, free, democratic and credible elections designed to endow the country with strong and permanent institutions;

6. EXPRESSES SATISFACTION at the signing in Kinshasa on 14 May 2004 of the Kinshasa Commitment Act by the representatives of the political military movements in Uturi and URGES all the parties to implement it scrupulously and to join the on-going transitional process in the country;

7. WELCOMES the appointment and assumption of office of Provincial Governors as a crucial stage in the extension of the state authority throughout the country and URGES the transitional Government to speed up the integration of the Army and the Security Services and to find the resources to undertake without delay, the implementation of the disarmament, demobilization and reintegration programme (DDR);

8. URGES the authorities of the Democratic Republic of Congo and the Republic of Rwanda to work towards the normalization of their relations and ALSO URGES the international community and the countries of the region to continue to support the transitional process in the DRC as well as the peace process in the region;

9. HAILS the laudable efforts made by MONUC in the DRC to promote the implementation of the various agreements signed by the parties and aimed at restoring peace, security and stability in the DRC and in the whole region. In this regard, Council REQUESTS the United Nations Security Council to envisage the reinforcement of its strength and the extension of MONUC’s mandate under Chapter VII, to all the regions in the country affected by the crisis.