During a consultative session organized on May 27, 2022 by the Civil Affairs section of MONUSCO in Goma, 27 young opinion leaders from this city, including seven (07) women, invited the head of MONUSCO, Ms. Bintou Keita, and the Special Envoy of the UN Secretary General for the Great Lakes Region, Mr. Huang Xia, to get involved, each in their own area, in the reactivation and effective implementation of the Addis Ababa Framework Agreement, in order to achieve a peaceful and lasting solution to the conflicts in the DRC and in its eastern region in particular.
Working within different youth and civil society platforms as well as citizen movements operating in Goma, these young people were reacting to the security situation in their city and in North Kivu province, in general, following the resurgence of clashes between government forces, supported by MONUSCO, and the M23 armed group in Rutshuru and Nyiragongo territories
The youth leaders began by expressing dismay, frustration, and anger at the endless cycle of violence that is undermining peace efforts and undermining their aspirations, as youth of North Kivu province, for a bright future.
The participants disapproved of the return to arms of the M23 in Nyiragongo and Rutshuru territories, resulting in the loss of human lives, massive displacement of the civilian population, and the disruption of the official examination program in those territories.
They also condemned any external support that the M23 might receive and stressed their being relatively "fed up" with the multiple peace agreements signed between the DRC and the various rebel groups on the one hand and its neighboring countries on the other, agreements that are slow in building peace and stabilizing the sub-region.
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As for the call for mobilization of citizens with edged weapons to defend the territorial integrity of the DRC alongside the FARDC, the young leaders gave it a mixed reception. The prevailing peaceful coexistence of the different ethnic communities in Goma proved to be a factor strong enough to overcome the emotions and resentments generated by this umpteenth return to arms of the M23.
Citing the obligation to remember contemporary history and the pitfalls of such a call for citizen mobilization, Robert Ngangue, MONUSCO Goma Civil Affairs Coordinator and moderator of the session, urged youth leaders to trust the DRC's defense and security forces and their bilateral and multinational partners, to avoid substituting for loyalist forces, to refuse to be manipulated, and to continue to work for peace and social cohesion.
Finally, MONUSCO briefed the young leaders on its achievements in the area of the protection of civilians in support of the DRC government in the theater of military operations in Rutshuru and Nyiragongo territories. They were also briefed on MONUSCO's good offices with all stakeholders in the conflict in eastern DRC, with a view to a strongly hoped-for de-escalation.
This session took place in the presence of several other components of MONUSCO Goma, including the United Nations Police, Political Affairs, Support to Justice, MONUSCO Force, Public Information, DDRR and the Joint United Nations Human Rights Office.
