For people in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) exhausted by years of conflict, the United Nations envoy for the country said she understands their impatience but urges them "not to lose hope" as the Congolese government, the UN and the international community are "determined" to bring peace to the volatile region.
Bintou Keita issued the message in an exclusive interview with UN News just a few days after briefing the Security Council on the situation in eastern DRC, expressing "compassion and empathy" for the long-suffering population.
"We know that it is very difficult, and it is a daily difficulty," she said, underlining the "resilience" of the Congolese people "despite all the suffering".
Diplomatic efforts underway
For decades, armed groups have plagued the east, where large areas are now under the control of the M23 rebel movement.
Ms. Keita, who also heads the UN peacekeeping mission in the DRC, MONUSCO , highlighted diplomatic efforts that are being made, while noting that the gap is still "very wide" to translate them on the ground.
"Whether it is the United Nations, its own government authorities, but also the international community as a whole, all are determined so that we can find peace in the east of the DRC," she said.
Regarding the so-called Washington and Doha peace processes, she recalled that the foreign ministers of the DRC and Rwanda signed the Washington Agreement in the US capital on 27 June.
Rwanda supports the M23, which has occupied parts of North and South Kivu provinces in eastern DRC since the beginning of the year. The Government in Kigali maintains that it does not provide military backing to the rebel group.
The Doha Declaration of Principles, establishing a framework for a permanent ceasefire, was signed on 19 July by the Congo River/M23 Alliance and the Congolese Government under mediation by Qatar.
