DRC flag
from JEAN KASSONGO in Kinshasa, DRC
KINSHASA, (CAJ News) – THE peace agreement signed by the government of Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and one of the largest rebel groups is anticipated to restore elusive stability east of the country.
President Felix Tshisekedi’s government signet e truce with the Ituri Patriotic Resistance Force (FRPI) in the town of Gety last Friday.
Before the truce, the city has been the epicentre of clashes between the rebel group and the national armed forces.
Mbadu Adurodu, the self-styled general and commander of the FRPI, signed the agreement at the event presided by the United Nations Mission for Stabilisation in the Democratic Republic of Congo (MONUSCO).
“This peace agreement represents the best opportunity to turn the page on almost two decades of violence in Ituri,” Cecilia Piazza, a regional spokesperson of MONUSCO, told media.
She said the agreement would enhance the restoration of state authority and economic and social development.
The terms of the agreement will culminate in FRPI ceasing to exist as an armed group and committing to the process of transformation into a political party.
FRPI pledged to release children it has deployed in its ranks.
The Congolese government undertook to draft a bill amnesty for insurgent acts, war and political offenses.
Tshisekedi’s government also pledged to implement the Disarmament, Demobilization and Reintegration of Armed Groups exercise in Ituri.
DRC, Africa’s second-largest country by size and one of its most populous (81 million) is also one of the continent’s most unstable nations.
It has been rocked by instability since its independence in 1960.
Armed groups have rendered the country ungovernable in recent years.
– CAJ News