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UN chief calls for more aid to African Great Lakes region

Xinhua, March 22, 2016 Adjust font size:

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Monday called for more humanitarian relief to the most vulnerable people in Africa's Great Lakes region that has been plagued by violence and conflicts.

"I am worried about continued violations of human rights and international humanitarian law in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and other parts of the region," said Ban at the Security Council's open debate on promoting peace and stability in the region.

In addition to the violence perpetrated by the many armed groups operating in eastern DRC, the past months have seen a sharp increase in inter-communal and inter-ethnic conflicts, he said.

"In the DRC alone, 7.5 million people are currently in need of humanitarian assistance, including more than 1.5 million internally displaced persons," he said.

"As the DRC enters a delicate electoral period, we are concerned about the risk of election-related violence, which could worsen an already grave humanitarian situation," he added.

Moreover, Ban said the rapidly deteriorating security situation in Burundi is also a concern.

"More than 1 million people, including some 25,000 internally displaced persons, are in need of assistance in Burundi," he said.

In addition, some 250,000 Burundian refugees are being hosted in the DRC, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia, he added.

The Great Lakes Region, encompassing Burundi, Rwanda, Uganda, north-eastern DRC, and north-western Kenya and Tanzania, has witnessed some of the direst conflicts on the African continent, rooted in longstanding tensions over ethnicity and citizenship, grievances over access to resources, including land and minerals, the UN says.

To tackle the root causes of armed conflicts, Ban stressed that sustained efforts are required to neutralize all negative forces, including by finding sustainable solutions for former combatants and extending state authority into areas reclaimed from armed groups.

In this regard, Ban welcomed the decision of the Government of the DRC to resume joint military planning and operations with United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO) to eliminate negative forces, notably the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR) and the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF).

"I urge the distinguished participants in today's debate to agree on tangible recommendations to accelerate the disarmament and demobilization of all armed groups still operating in eastern DRC," he said. Enditem