Kenyan Delegation Calls for Stronger Collaboration to Restore Peace in the Great Lakes Region
He stressed the need for clear, actionable recommendations to be derived from fact-finding missions in conflict-affected areas.
The Kenyan Parliamentary delegation attending the ongoing International Conference on the Great Lakes Region (ICGLR) in Luanda, Angola, has emphasized the urgent need for deeper collaboration and global support to restore peace and stability across the region. Photo/Parliament of Kenya.
By Robert Assad
The Kenyan Parliamentary delegation attending the ongoing International Conference on the Great Lakes Region (ICGLR) in Luanda, Angola, has emphasized the urgent need for deeper collaboration and global support to restore peace and stability across the region.
Speaking during the 15th Ordinary Session of the Plenary Assembly and related meetings of the ICGLR Forum of Parliaments of Member States, the Kenyan delegation, led by Senate Speaker Rt. Hon. Amason Kingi, expressed concern over the escalating conflicts that have plunged several member countries into political and humanitarian crises.
Buuri MP Hon. Mugambi Rindikiri, representing Kenya in the ICGLR Peace and Security Committee, called for an expanded scope of information gathering to properly assess the magnitude of the ongoing conflicts.
He stressed the need for clear, actionable recommendations to be derived from fact-finding missions in conflict-affected areas.
“The humanitarian crisis in the individual countries has come at a hefty cost to the rest of the region. We need to harmonize our efforts and iron out some of the sticky issues to restore peace and human dignity in the region,” Hon. Rindikiri noted.
The committee highlighted that recent flare-ups in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Sudan, South Sudan, and the Central African Republic (CAR) have had devastating repercussions, not only within the affected countries but across the entire region.
The members agreed that restoring peace requires a shared understanding of threats and collective support for existing peace initiatives.
The forum also urged member states to recommit to addressing insecurity and poverty, which continue to fuel instability in the region.
As the conference progresses, key discussions are expected to continue with a scheduled meeting of the ICGLR Executive Committee on Tuesday, followed by the 15th Conference of Speakers and Plenary meetings set for Thursday and Friday.
The ICGLR, made up of Angola, Kenya, the DRC, Congo, Sudan, South Sudan, Zambia, Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, and the CAR, plays a central role in coordinating regional efforts to address security, governance, and humanitarian challenges in the Great Lakes Region.
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