PSC/PR/COMM.(CDLXXXVIII)
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11.
Commends the FARDC and MONUSCO on their joint operations in Beni and its environs
to fully neutralize the ADF/NALU, and stresses the urgent need for the completion of these
operations, considering in particular the massacre, by the ADF/NALU, of hundreds of innocent
civilians in this region. Council welcomes the support provided by the FARDC and MONUSCO to
the affected civilian populations;
12.
Welcomes the efforts made by the Government of the DRC to honor its commitments
under the Nairobi Declarations of 12 December 2013 which concluded the Kampala Dialogue
between the Government and the former rebellion of the M23, and notes with appreciation
the results already obtained. Council calls for the acceleration of the implementation process of
the Nairobi Declarations, including aspects related to the amnesty and the voluntary
repatriation of M23 ex-combatants;
13.
Welcomes the signing by the DRC and Uganda, on 16 December 2014, in Entebbe, of a
Memorandum of Understanding which enabled the DRC to recover the weapons and other
equipment of war carried away by the M23 elements, and through which the two countries
agreed to take practical steps to facilitate the repatriation, on a voluntary basis, of the M23 excombatants eligible for amnesty. Council notes with satisfaction the repatriation of almost 500
elements of the ex-M23, as announced by the DRC, and encourages other concerned elements
already beneficiaries of the amnesty to join the ongoing process;
14.
Further welcomes the signing in Kigali, on 3 February 2015, of a joint communiqué
between the DRC and Rwanda, to facilitate the return to the DRC of elements of the ex-M23
located in Rwanda and who are among the amnesty beneficiaries;
15.
Stresses the need for renewed efforts to implement the socio-economic aspects of the
PSC Framework, including through the enhancement of regional cooperation and integration
and the promotion of private investment, as provided for in the Plan of Action endorsed by the
3rd meeting of the Regional Oversight Mechanism, held in Addis Ababa on 31 January 2014. In
this regard, Council notes with satisfaction the outcome of the regional consultations on the
possibilities of private investment in the Great Lakes Region, held in Luanda on 17 and 18
December 2014, and the convening of a Conference on Private Investment in the Great Lakes
Region;
16.
Calls for the accelerated allocation and disbursement of the additional US$ 1 billion in
funding to the Great Lakes Region announced by the World Bank Group in May 2013 to help
countries in the region provide better health and education services, generate more crossborder trade and fund hydroelectricity projects, in support of the PSC Framework. Council
notes that this funding will help revitalize economic development, create employment and
improve the lives of the people, and therefore represents an important peace dividend;
17.
Requests the Chairperson of the Commission to take the necessary steps to enhance the
capacity of the AU Office for the Great Lakes Region, in order to enable the AU to further
contribute to the implementation process of the PSC Framework and to support more