UNITED NATIONS
\nPakistan has welcomed the United States\u2019 facilitation of a peace agreement between Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Rwanda, who were engaged in a prolonged conflict, and Qatar\u2019s efforts that led to the Doha Declaration and a prisoner exchange mechanism, saying these moves raise hopes for a ceasefire in the country\u2019s troubled eastern region.
\n\u201cRecent diplomatic initiatives offer a fragile but real opening for peace,\u201d Ambassador Asim Iftikhar Ahmad, permanent representative of Pakistan to the United Nations, told the UN Security Council on Tuesday. Speaking in a debate on the situation in Africa\u2019s Great Lake region, he emphasized that the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the DRC must be fully upheld.
\nFor decades, armed groups have plagued the eastern DRC. However, the situation has sharply deteriorated since January 2025, when M23 rebels, backed by Rwanda, captured key cities in the Kivu provinces. Rwanda has denied that it provides military support to the rebels.
\nSince the start of the year, more than 1.6 million people have been newly displaced, with over 68% of these displacements attributed to ongoing conflict, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). In his remarks, the Pakistani envoy said, \u201cThe Great Lakes region stands at a decisive juncture.\u201d
\nHe also commended the mediatory role of Togo\u2019s President Faure Gnassingbe who was tasked with facilitating talks between the DRC, Rwanda and the M23 rebels, with a focus on implementing peace agreements and achieving a sustainable ceasefire. \u201cSustained peace also requires tackling root causes: illicit resource exploitation, governance gaps, and cross-border criminal networks,\u201d Ambassador Asim Ahmad said.
\n\u201cTransforming the region\u2019s mineral wealth into shared prosperity is essential to breaking the cycle of conflict\u201d. The Pakistani envoy also called for strengthening MONUSCO, the UN peacekeeping mission in DRC, to enable it to perform its vital mandate which was being eroded by resource constraints. The Mission, he said, was already impacted by the budget cuts, and further reductions might irreversibly cripple it. The Mission, the Pakistani envoy said, must be strengthened \u2014 not weakened \u2014 to ensure, among other of its task, ceasefire verification and civilian protection. \u201cM23 (rebels) must also lift all restrictions on the freedom of movement of MONUSCO.\u201d
\n(The Pakistani \u2018Blue Helmets\u2019, who formed the bulk of the UN peacekeeping mission in DRC, departed earlier this year after 20-years of service in the country.) Pakistan, he said, remains steadfast in its support for international and African-led initiatives with UN engagement for peace in DRC.
\nBriefing the Security Council, a senior United Nations official told ambassadors that there is \u201creal hope\u201d for a ceasefire in eastern DRC, outlining several key priorities, including addressing the root causes of conflict, such as illegal resource exploitation and weak governance. Huang expressed hope that talks between the Congolese authorities and the 23 March Movement (M23) would resume soon and result in a comprehensive peace agreement. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
UNITED NATIONS Pakistan has welcomed the United States\u2019 facilitation of a peace agreement between Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Rwanda, who were engaged in a prolonged conflict, and Qatar\u2019s efforts that led to the Doha Declaration and a prisoner exchange mechanism, saying these moves raise hopes for a ceasefire in the country\u2019s troubled eastern […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-508587","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-top-news"},"yoast_head":"\n