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RAPAPORT... The senior United Nations (UN) official for the Great Lakes region of Africa began a week-long mission to help peace efforts by visiting Tanzania, Rwanda, the Republic of Congo, Uganda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s Special Envoy for the Great Lakes, Mary Robinson, will focus on the immediate need, which is to shore up the failed Kampala dialogue in an effort to finally broker a peace agreement between the DRC and the M23 rebel group. She will also seek to foster progress in implementing the broader commitments of the 11-nation Peace, Security and Cooperation Framework for the DRC and the region, which she has called “a framework of hope.” “Developments over the past month have brought renewed hope to people in the eastern DRC,” Robinson said. “Further efforts are needed to ensure that the country is rid of all negative forces and security is re-established sustainably. Progress on the larger political agenda is now urgently needed, as well. We must work to restore trust and take the steps that are needed to resolve the underlying causes of conflict and instability to the region.” The eastern DRC has experienced mass chaos since November 2012 as fighting between the government and various armed groups, primarily the M23, displaced more than 100,000 people and exacerbated an ongoing humanitarian crisis, which includes 2.6 million internally displaced persons, according to the UN.
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