JOINT STATEMENT ON THE DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO BY THE AFRICAN UNION, THE UNITED NATIONS, THE EUROPEAN UNION AND THE INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATION OF LA FRANCOPHONIE

JOINT STATEMENT ON THE DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO BY THE AFRICAN UNION, THE UNITED NATIONS, THE EUROPEAN UNION AND THE INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATION OF LA FRANCOPHONIE

17/02/2017

The African Union (AU), the United Nations (UN), the European Union (EU) and the International Organization of La Francophonie (IOF) are increasingly concerned by the continuing impasse in the dialogue among the political stakeholders in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) related to the implementation modalities of the 31 December political agreement. 

The four partner organizations note that six weeks after agreeing on the modalities of a transition period leading to the holding of peaceful and credible elections by December 2017, the parties are yet to conclude discussions on the effective implementation of the agreement. This situation has the potential to undermine the political goodwill that led to the signing of the 31 December agreement.

In this context, the four partner organizations call on all stakeholders in the DRC, including the presidential majority and the opposition, to redouble, in good faith, their efforts towards a speedy conclusion of the ongoing talks.

The four partner organizations reaffirm the need for all parties to rally behind the mediation efforts led by the Conférence épiscopale nationale du Congo (CENCO), and recall that the full and timely implementation of the 31 December agreement is critical in upholding the legitimacy of the transitional institutions until elections.

MONUSCO