Ban Ki-moon welcomes talks aimed at bringing peace to eastern DR Congo
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has voiced hope that an upcoming peace summit to be held in the troubled eastern region of
the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) will help end a conflict that has caused tremendous suffering and the
displacement of hundreds of thousands of innocent people.
In a statement issued by his spokesperson, Mr. Ban welcomed the initiative taken by the Government of the DRC and the
people of North and South Kivu provinces to hold a conference aimed at bringing peace, security and development to the
region. The talks are scheduled from 27 December to 5 January in Goma, the capital of North Kivu province.
Mr. Ban believes the conference has the potential to make "important steps towards ending the suffering of the
population and establishing a global plan for security, stability and progress in these provinces."
Fighting has escalated in recent months between Government troops and rebels allied with the dissident army general,
Laurent Nkunda, forcing hundreds of thousands of civilians to flee their homes in North Kivu.
The UN refugee agency estimates that over the last year, a mix of conflict, military build-up and spiralling lawlessness
has displaced 400,000 people in North Kivu - the worst displacement since the end of the civil war in 2003. In total,
there are an estimated 800,000 displaced people in the province, including those uprooted by previous conflicts.
"The people of North and South Kivu deserve a resolution to the conflicts which have caused so much suffering and
massive displacement of the population, and which threaten peace and stability in the region," the statement said.
The Secretary-General urged all concerned "to seize this opportunity to initiate and sustain a dialogue aimed at
peacefully addressing the many challenges facing the Kivus" and called on the country's international partners to
support these efforts.
ENDS