YouSaid · the spoken record

Obasanjo

lines on the record: 44
first: 2009-01-15
most recent: 2021-11-08
sittings or episodes: 3
sources: un-security-council

Every line below is reproduced as it was said and linked to the record it came from. Nothing here is summarised or generated. Directory · Search · Corrections

“With the efforts currently under way, I hope that, before the end of the week, we will have a programme in hand that will indicate how we can address the humanitarian situation and the withdrawal of troops together so as to meet the immediate demands of the stakeholders.”
2021-11-08 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8899 (2021) · source
“In the past 48 hours, as I said, I have visited Mekelle, the capital of Tigray. I have consulted with the Prime Minister of Ethiopia, the President of Tigray and the President of the Oromia region, as well as the President of the Federal Republic of Ethiopia. I have also consulted with the Chairperson of the AU Commission. Tomorrow, I will be paying a visit the Amhara and Afar regions, all in an effort to harmonize the leaders’ views in the area of the withdrawal of troops from regions that are not their own, as well as in maintaining humanitarian access. All of those are, I believe, very important and constitute the priority areas as indicated by most of the leaders that I have consulted with.”
2021-11-08 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8899 (2021) · source
“The Council should, first, strongly urge and encourage the Federal Government of Ethiopia and the Tigrayan People’s Liberation Front to engage in political dialogue without any preconditions; secondly, call for an immediate and unconditional comprehensive ceasefire and the cessation of hostilities by all parties; thirdly, call for immediate and hindered humanitarian access; fourthly, call on the parties to ensure respect for and compliance with international humanitarian law and human rights laws and practices; fifthly, call for the immediate commencement of an all-inclusive national dialogue and reconciliation; and sixthly, call on the international community to rally behind the AU-led process in order to ensure coherence and unity of purpose in our peacemaking efforts in the Horn of Africa, particularly in Ethiopia.”
2021-11-08 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8899 (2021) · source
“The time is now for collective action in finding a lasting solution to avoid further escalation of the situation, which may have a direct effect on the strategic Horn of Africa region as a whole. Please permit me, in light of all this, to urge the Council to consider the following.”
2021-11-08 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8899 (2021) · source
“To summarize our discussions, all the leaders here in Addis Ababa and in the north agree individually that the differences between them are political and require a political solution through dialogue. That therefore constitutes a window of opportunity that we can collectively tap into to assist the people of Ethiopia to find a lasting solution to the ongoing crisis. It is, however, important to mention that the window of opportunity we have is very small and that time is limited when it comes to an intervention in that regard. The ongoing conflict situation continues to have severe humanitarian consequences for the population, with a huge impact on socioeconomic development and stability.”
2021-11-08 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8899 (2021) · source
“Since my arrival in Ethiopia on 4 November, after my visit to the Sudan a day earlier, I have met with the Prime Minister of Ethiopia, the President of Ethiopia and the President of Oromia and held meaningful discussions with them on the ongoing escalation with reflections on how to de-escalate tensions and to pave the way for dialogue. During my meetings with the Prime Minister, we agreed that I would pay a visit to Mekelle to meet the Tigrayan leaders. It is in that context that I travelled to Mekelle yesterday, 7 November, to engage the leaders of the northern region in an effort to de-escalate tensions and to begin to find an amicable solution to the situation.”
2021-11-08 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8899 (2021) · source
“I have been following those developments with keen attention, and it is owing to the rapid changes in trends that I am here in Ethiopia to pay another visit in order to engage all stakeholders in de-escalating the situation. It should be noted that, following days of reports of intense fighting in the north of the country, the Ethiopian Cabinet declared a nationwide state of emergency with immediate effect on 2 November, while the central authority urged citizens to prepare to defend the capital. A large demonstration that took place yesterday, 7 November, as well as other similar demonstrations in several cities in support of the Federal Government is evidence of the present reality.”
2021-11-08 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8899 (2021) · source
“Those initial visits offered me the opportunity to discourse with world leaders about the objective of the appointment, as well as to solicit their logistical and all other support for the implementation of my mandate. Since I began the assignment, I have briefed the AU Peace and Security Council on two occasions, the first of which was on 8 October, concerning the region, and the second just this morning, specifically on the situation in Ethiopia. The Under-Secretary-General has given us a brief outline of the situation developing in Ethiopia. It is pertinent to point out that the crisis situation in northern Ethiopia has continued to drastically deteriorate in recent weeks, leading to a serious escalation of the situation.”
2021-11-08 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8899 (2021) · source
“My assignment is part of the AU drive to promote peace, security, stability and political dialogue all over the Horn of Africa region. It has allowed me to engage with most of the leaders of the region, relevant bilateral or multilateral partners, as well as key political actors and stakeholders, especially in Ethiopia. Apart from those meetings, I also paid visits to Europe, met with the President of the Republic of France, and to Brussels to meet with the leaders of the European Union, from 5 to 8 October. I also travelled to the United States of America, where I met with the Secretary-General and the Secretary of State of the United States of America, from 9 to 14 October.”
2021-11-08 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8899 (2021) · source
“I also wish to thank the Chairperson of the African Union (AU) Commission for my nomination, on 26 August, to the post of African Union High Representative for the Horn of Africa, to intensify engagement with all relevant political actors and stakeholders towards promoting entrenched durable peace and stability within the Horn of Africa, as well as support to AU-led strategies and diplomatic interventions in the region, through the facilitation of inclusive political dialogue, reconciliation and social cohesion processes. The appointment is a delicate one for two principal reasons. It is the first-ever appointment by the AU of a High Representative for an entire region. The second reason is that each of the eight countries of the region has a specific context.”
2021-11-08 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8899 (2021) · source
“Mr. Obasanjo: It is a great pleasure and honour for me to be invited to the briefing of the Security Council to discourse the situation in Ethiopia, within the context of its agenda item of peace and security in Africa. I wish to express my heartfelt thanks and appreciation to the President and members of the Council for today’s invitation, which will allow me to exchange views on the pertinent unfolding developments in one of the strategic countries of the continent of Africa.”
2021-11-08 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8899 (2021) · source
“With this in mind, I recommend an umbrella approach bringing together the United Nations, the African Union, the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region and international development partners in a 09-59863 concerted effort to strengthen governance institutions in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. In closing, I must thank the Security Council, the United Nations and its Secretary-General, the African Union, the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region, the heads of Governments of the region and MONUC for their vital support in all that has been accomplished. I also wish to recognize many individual Governments, particularly those of Japan, Nigeria, the United Republic of Tanzania and the United Kingdom, for their material support to my mediation efforts.”
2009-11-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6215 (2009) · source
“09-59863 Thirdly, in order to provide assistance in case a new crisis should start to loom, I am working with the United Nations to consider re-tooling my existing support office in Nairobi as a very small, dedicated post, which would continue to liaise with the secretariat of the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region and assess the implementation of the 23 March agreement, monitor efforts to counter the violence of the various residual foreign armed groups at large in the broader region, and monitor the consolidation of the regional rapprochement and actions to sustain peace and make it irreversible. Fourthly, I have stressed the urgency of addressing the underlying causes of recurring crisis.”
2009-11-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6215 (2009) · source
“Secondly, at the end of January, President Mkapa and I will submit a final report based on our most recent assessment to the African Union leaders at their regular summit. On the margins of that summit, we hope that leaders of the Great Lakes countries will give us an opportunity to brief them also.”
2009-11-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6215 (2009) · source
“We reassured him - as we assured President Dos Santos in a subsequent meeting, on 27 October, and President Kagame on 28 October - that we remain on alert should the region need to call on our good offices again. On that basis, I therefore propose the following exit steps. First, since our meeting, I have again written to President Kabila, urging his action to accelerate the implementation of the 23 March agreement. In a month or so from now, my team will travel to the Democratic Republic of the Congo to make a further assessment. That assessment will be reported to me and President Mkapa to see if there is any marked change either way from the situation that prevails today.”
2009-11-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6215 (2009) · source
“He also spoke confidently of the steadily improving relations with Rwanda and Uganda, and of the Democratic Republic of the Congo's good relationship with Burundi and Angola. On that last point, he reassured us that the recent difficulties over expulsions of Congolese citizens from Angola were the result of a misunderstanding between local authorities, and that the issue had been quickly addressed between the two countries. President Mkapa and I informed President Kabila of our intention to wind down and take a step back from an active role in the peace process in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Great Lakes region while national and regional leaders implement measures to strengthen national peace and harmony and regional cooperation, development and solidarity.”
2009-11-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6215 (2009) · source
“Many of the difficulties that called a young Nigerian officer to the newly independent Congo persist, alas, nearly 50 years later. I am deeply conscious that, while President Benjamin Mkapa and I may have made a marked contribution, no one person, or two for that matter, can help fix the problems of the Democratic Republic of the Congo alone. Moreover, mediators should be mindful not to become irritants or unwelcome guests to their hosts. The Congolese must be encouraged and empowered to be the architects of their own future. Undue interference by neighbours and by the international community can only be counterproductive, and is not helpful. During our meeting on 17 October, President Kabila assured President Mkapa and myself that his Government remained committed to the full implementation of the 23 March agreement.”
2009-11-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6215 (2009) · source
“In sum, I believe that we have done much to somewhat alter the dynamic at both the national and the regional levels, but a further concern remains. But what we have successfully treated were mainly the symptoms. Most of the underlying ailments that have led to repeated crises in the region still need to be addressed. Without dealing effectively with the underlying issues, peace can neither be durable nor irreversible. One of those ailments is the continued weakness of governance institutions, and the armed forces in particular. As the Council has heard me say on a previous occasion, in 1960 I served in eastern Congo as a young officer in what was the first United Nations peacekeeping operation there - the United Nations Operation in the Congo.”
2009-11-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6215 (2009) · source
“While we should not downplay the humanitarian consequences of those operations, it is important that we continue to support the Congolese Government in its resolve to rid the Kivus of the FDLR, while stressing the need for the Forces armees de la Republique de'mocratique du Congo to remain mindful of the protection of civilians. International action against FDLR supporters and leaders abroad is also helpful. In my recent meetings with Presidents Kabila and Kagame, they separately reassured me that they are very much on speaking terms. But only they will know how deep the relationship really is. I believe that the restoration of full trust between the peoples of the two countries will take some time longer. Once broken, confidence takes time to mend.”
2009-11-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6215 (2009) · source
“The fruits of that rapprochement have been seen in the joint operation against the FDLR, the 3 historic meeting at Goma in August of this year between Presidents Kabila and Kagama, the economic cooperation on joint energy generation from butane gas in Lake Kivu, and the restoration of diplomatic relations and exchange of ambassadors, which took place within the past two weeks. With regard to the FDLR, I believe that Operation Kimia II is achieving reasonable success. In South Kivu, for example, we found widespread support for the continuation of the Operation, which most people recognize to have helped in weakening the FDLR.”
2009-11-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6215 (2009) · source
“We are aware of ongoing and recurring disputes over positions among the CNDP leadership. I have urged the Government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo to accelerate meeting its commitments to the armed groups under the 23 March agreement, precisely so as to prevent dissent and discontent emerging within former armed groups. Let me now turn to the regional level. The success that has been recorded has been due in very large part to the coming together of the heads of State of the region and to the resolve of Presidents Kagame and Kabila to improve their relationship. If anything gives me hope for the future it is the rapprochement between the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Rwanda.”
2009-11-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6215 (2009) · source
“The process leading to the return of refugees from neighbouring countries will have to be managed carefully to avoid a resumption of hostilities between communities in the Kivus. By contrast, some important provisions of the 23 March agreement still remain unimplemented. Those include the establishment of a national reconciliation mechanism, including local reconciliation committees in the Kivus, the creation of a proximity police force, reforms to electoral law, reforms in the area of good governance and the proper control of natural resources, and the identification of means to foster the more direct participation of elements of former armed groups in the political life of the nation. A further concern relates to recent rumours of splits within the CNDP. My team and I have continued to monitor the situation closely.”
2009-11-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6215 (2009) · source
“However, those 09-5986} officials continue to lack the necessary means and support that would enable them to safely and effectively exercise their authority. MONUC and the Government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo have established a mechanism to look after orphans and the war wounded, but it has yet to become functional because ofa lack of resources. Slow and partial army integration remains an issue. It is one of the root causes of instability in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Without concerted international support, there is little chance that military integration will be effective in the near future. That may bring back the era of warlordism. The structured return of refugees and IDPs also remains an issue, although spontaneous returns have already increased significantly.”
2009-11-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6215 (2009) · source
“However, other armed groups have yet to register, mainly as a result of internal disputes over leadership positions and weaknesses in their structures. Most political prisoners in Kinshasa have been released and transferred back to their regions of origin. However, delays in the liberation of prisoners persist in North Kivu. The Congolese authorities are working closely with the United Nations Organization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUC) to establish stabilization and reconstruction programmes within the framework of the programme for the stabilization and rebuilding of former conflict zones, which was launched last July. In most cases, the appointment of Government administrators to replace former rebel structures has taken place.”
2009-11-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6215 (2009) · source
“Since the last time I had the opportunity to address the Council members during their visit to Addis Ababa last June, I have divided my time between two dimensions of my mandate - first, encouraging the parties to accelerate the implementation of the provisions of the 23 March agreement; and secondly, enjoining the two heads of State, Presidents Kabila and Kagame, and their Governments to deepen and consolidate their rapprochement. On both fronts, I believe I can report solid success. With respect to the 23 March agreements, there has been substantial, if not comprehensive progress. The following provisions have been or are about to be implemented. The amnesty law has been promulgated. The CNDP is now officially registered as a political party.”
2009-11-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6215 (2009) · source
“It culminated in the historic decision of both countries to take decisive joint military action against one of the key sources of friction between them - the persistence of the FDLR on Congolese soil. In the course of those operations, the CNDP moved to rid itself of Laurent Nkunda. The new CNDP leadership proved more amenable to a negotiated solution. The fruit of that negotiation, again, was the 23 March agreement, the signature of which President Mkapa and I witnessed in Goma.”
2009-11-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6215 (2009) · source
“The international facilitators complemented our efforts in building confidence between the two leaders. Recognizing the urgency of peacemaking, on 15 November 2008 I also met for the first time with Laurent Nkunda. Soon, we had won the confidence and approval of all to organize direct dialogue between the CNDP and the Government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo in Nairobi. That dialogue was, at first, frustratingly slow, but in time it proved useful in opening direct channels of communication between 09-59863 the Congolese Government and the CNDP and laid the groundwork for the peace agreements between the Government, the CNDP and the other armed groups on 23 March 2009. In parallel, we continued to make regular rounds of consultation with the region. With some rapidity, the rapprochement we were encouraging began to bear fruit.”
2009-11-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6215 (2009) · source
“Here, I would like to thank the Nigerian Government, and in particular President Yar'Adua, for making available to me aircraft from the presidential air fleet for all my travels in the Great Lakes region. I could not have accomplished my task without that special support. Our first discussions with President Dos Santos provided the backdrop for my activities. At that meeting, I gained some useful insights into the underlying causes of the Congolese conflict from a leader close to the scene. From the moment of our first meetings with Presidents Kabila and Kagame, I carried messages designed to build detente and increase mutual confidence. Soon thereafter, the two Presidents renewed contact and began taking steps towards the rapprochement that we see and welcome today.”
2009-11-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6215 (2009) · source
“Today, a year after President Mkapa and I took up the challenge of helping the parties and the region to find solutions, the situation has been dramatically transformed. The humanitarian situation has greatly improved. Many internally displaced persons (IDPs) are now returning to their homes. The CNDP no longer exists as a politico-military organization. The threat to regional peace posed by the armed groups, in particular the Forces de'mocratiques de liberation du Rwanda (FDLR), has been considerably reduced, and there has been a notable warming in regional relationships. As members of the Council will recall, immediately after the Nairobi summit we began concerted rounds of consultation with regional heads of State. Indeed, over the course of my mandate, I have made a total of 30 visits to 10 heads of State in the region.”
2009-11-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6215 (2009) · source
“Mr. Obasanjo: On my own behalf and on behalf of my co-facilitator, Mr. Benjamin Mkapa, former President of Tanzania, I thank the Council for receiving me today. It has been precisely one year and two days since the Secretary-General first introduced me as his Special Envoy to the heads of State of the Great Lakes region in Nairobi. As members may recall, when we gathered in Nairobi on 7 November 2008, Laurent Nkunda's Congres national pour la defense du peuple (CNDP) was threatening to take over Goma. The 2 humanitarian situation in the Kivus had reached alarming proportions. At the Nairobi summit, it became clear to all how fractured relationships in the region had again become. In particular, Presidents Kagame and Kabila would neither shake hands nor speak to one another.”
2009-11-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6215 (2009) · source
“All the agreements and accords in the world will help the people of the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo not one bit if they are not faithfully implemented. The engagement of the region and of the continent as a whole will be crucial. Much has been accomplished, but much more remains to be done. The momentum for peace generated so far cannot, must not and will not be allowed to die. The people of the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, who have suffered so much and for so long, warrant better than that. They deserve, and indeed demand, full and lasting peace. Africa and the world must help make that peace a reality in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the whole of the Great Lakes region. I thank you, Mr. President, for giving me the opportunity to report to the Council.”
2009-01-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6067 (2009) · source
“We must together find the most effective way to link their interests and their commitments made under the Goma Agreement to the final outcome of the present dialogue. Thirdly, the long-term presence on Congolese soil of foreign armed groups - the FDLR, the Lord's Resistance Army and others - remains a major factor. We will seek the right combination of measures to resolve that issue but, again, we will need the Council's help in finding it and in making it stick. Finally, too often previous agreements have faltered because of the lack of political will, and because implementation and follow-through were neglected. I can assure the Council that I will leave no stone unturned to help the concerned parties arrive at a comprehensive, realistic and implementable agreement.”
2009-01-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6067 (2009) · source
“The first, as I have said, is that, while it is slowly picking up, the pace of the dialogue remains slow. I would appeal to the Council to use whatever leverage it may have on the parties to improve matters. If there continues to be obstruction, the Secretary-General may call upon the Security Council to consider what other measures may help encourage progress. The second is that, at the CNDP's insistence, the dialogue remains a bilateral one, exclusively between it and the Government. But more than 20 armed groups signed the Goma Acts of Engagement in January 2008, along with many representatives of the different communities of North and South Kivu. Their interests must not and will not be left out of any comprehensive solution.”
2009-01-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6067 (2009) · source
“In my View, it is critical that we start with the humanitarian and security issues in order to allow for the safe and secure return of internally displaced persons to their homes and the establishment of security corridors and/or buffer zones, as well for disarmament, demobilization and reintegration and modalities for the integration of former combatants into the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The long-suffering populations of the Kivus 3 must be able to return safely to their homes before the planting season in September. We are still at a very early stage in the process. The Democratic Republic of the Congo, the region, President Mkapa and I will need the Council's continued political and material support, as well as that of its Governments, in bringing about durable peace. Significant challenges remain.”
2009-01-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6067 (2009) · source
“Until such a time as agreement can be reached and an independent mechanism established, I have pleaded with both parties - and in particular the CNDP, which remains suspicious of MONUC - that they accept that MONUC monitor and verify the effective cessation of hostilities declarations currently in place. Looking ahead, dialogue must then proceed with critical discussions on humanitarian and security issues, to be followed by negotiations on political and economic matters.”
2009-01-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6067 (2009) · source
“We will resume towards the end of next week. If, on resuming, the parties can arrive at a joint cessation of hostilities declaration, this would be an important step forward. It would need to be undergirded by an effective and trusted independent monitoring mechanism. I trust that, when the time comes, I can count on the support of Council members to help establish, as soon as possible, such a mechanism, which would report directly to the mediation. Special Representative of the Secretary- General Doss and MONUC Force Commander Gaye, with Whom I have been maintaining close and concerted contact since the beginning of this initiative, have indicated their willingness in principle for MONUC to lend its logistical support to such a mechanism.”
2009-01-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6067 (2009) · source
“This is critical, as it reaffirms the parties' commitment to the principles of the Goma process but calls for new 09-20963 implementation mechanisms, as well as for a comprehensive agreement on addressing the root causes of the conflict. Just as important, the parties have now re-engaged in discussions towards a joint cessation of hostilities declaration. I must let the Council know, however, that in the past 48 hours, there have been reports and rumours in the subregion of a web of plans and counter-plans and of deals within deals. This has once more slowed down the momentum of the dialogue. Both sides have once again become intransigent, the Government side in particular. As we have done in the past when we observed such intransigency developing, we have today called for a brief recess in the dialogue.”
2009-01-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6067 (2009) · source
“Following these discussions, and with President Mkapa's able work with the parties in Nairobi, the dialogue, which resumed in Nairobi on 6 January, has begun to move a little more positively. In particular, the atmosphere between the two delegations has eased, with confidence beginning to be built and the parties increasingly working directly together. On 12 January, the parties agreed the last of three documents that together lay the ground rules for the substantive discussions to follow. This last document, the terms of reference, is important also because it reflects a common understanding on the desired outcome of the Nairobi dialogue "to conclude a comprehensive agreement incorporating the Actes d'engagement signed in Goma and their modalities of implementation through a framework to be agreed by the parties".”
2009-01-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6067 (2009) · source
“Both countries seem encouraged by the political message their enhanced cooperation is sending. In Jomba, I met with CNDP leader Laurent Nkunda and a group of his political cadres. Again, he insisted that Government troops should Withdraw from Kibati, near Goma, as a precondition for signing a joint cessation of hostilities declaration. But he showed flexibility concerning the CNDP's previous demand that the Presidents of the National Assembly and the Senate participate in the Nairobi dialogue as facilitators. Both of those figures have given both President Kabila and me their assurances that any outcomes of the dialogue which might demand action by the Congolese legislature would be examined sympathetically. Accordingly, I was able to reassure Nkunda.”
2009-01-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6067 (2009) · source
“On 8 January, I travelled to Kinshasa, Kigali and Jumbo, North Kivu Province, to consult with Presidents Kabila and Kagame and to meet with Nunda. All of these parties strongly reaffirmed their 09-20963 commitment to the Nairobi dialogue. I was heartened to hear from Presidents Kabila and Kagame that their interaction and the relationship between their two countries had significantly improved as a result of frequent direct contact and ministerial-level meetings. Both presidents expressed satisfaction with the progress made in finding common ground to deal with issues of joint concern, in particular the issue of the Forces democratiques de libe'ration du Rwanda (FDLR). In line with the Nairobi communique of 2007, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Rwanda have agreed on a military plan to put pressure on the FDLR.”
2009-01-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6067 (2009) · source
“For the first month, it remained narrowly focused on procedural matters. Moreover, in the run-up to the end of the year, the CNDP was unwilling to sign a formal recommitment to its existing unilateral cessation of hostilities. It accused the Government of incursions into areas that it had called on the United Nations Organization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUC) to occupy after it had vacated them. During the holiday period, I remained in touch with Presidents Kagame and Kabila and with Laurent Nkunda. At first, Nkunda appeared reluctant for his delegation to return to Nairobi. Additionally, as the dialogue resumed on 6 January, the CNDP's military Chief of Staff, Bosco Ntaganda, announced his takeover of the movement. As of the present moment, the internal dynamics within the CNDP remain unclear.”
2009-01-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6067 (2009) · source
“Much remains to be done, but as compared to where the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo and the region found themselves on 7 November 2008, I am happy to report some progress. First, in November, relations between Kinshasa and Kigali had sharply deteriorated. I am happy to tell the Council that Presidents Kabila and Kagame both now talk of considerable warming in the relationship and enhanced cooperation. Secondly, in November, the Kinshasa Government was ill-disposed towards direct talks with the CNDP. Now, those talks are well under way. Thirdly, in November, the CNDP threatened Goma. While Goma is still under pressure, particularly in terms of the dire humanitarian situation, the prospect of a military takeover of the town has considerably receded. Concerning the dialogue, progress has remained slower than desirable.”
2009-01-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6067 (2009) · source
“Along with that responsibility, it proposed that I should also represent the African Union and the Great Lakes region as a facilitator and that I should be joined in these tasks by President Mkapa, a choice that the Secretary-General endorsed. The Nairobi summit displayed a real sense of urgency. In the last two months of 2008, President Mkapa and I met with Presidents Kabila, Kagame, Dos Santos, Kibaki, Kikwete, Museveni and Sassou 2 Nguesso. All called for a comprehensive solution to the crisis, based on dialogue. We have also met on four separate occasions with the leader of the Congres national pour la defense du peuple (CNDP), Laurent Nkunda. Following these meetings, a dialogue between the Government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the CNDP opened on 8 December in Nairobi. That dialogue is ongoing.”
2009-01-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6067 (2009) · source
“Mr. Obasanjo: I thank you, Mr. President, for your invitation to address the Council. I do so on behalf of my brother and colleague, former President Mkapa, and on my own behalf. On 7 November 2008, the African Union and the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region together held an extraordinary summit in Nairobi. This brought together regional heads of State, the Secretary- General of the United Nations and the Chairperson of the African Union Commission to try to identify a solution once and for all to the crisis in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo. The summit endorsed my appointment as the Special Envoy of the Secretary-General on the Great Lakes Region.”
2009-01-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6067 (2009) · source