President Cyril Ramaphosa is expected to travel to Burundi on Friday to attend the 11th High Level Segment of the Regional Oversight Mechanism (ROM) of the Peace, Security and Cooperation (PSC) Framework for the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and the Great Lakes Region.

The President is expected to be accompanied by International Relations and Cooperation Deputy Minister, Alvin Botes.

In a statement, The Presidency said the summit will be held on the back of the “deteriorating political and security situation in the Eastern DRC caused by a resurgence of the M23 Movement”, which has caused tension between the DRC and its central African counterpart, Rwanda.

“The summit will receive an update on various initiatives aimed at de-escalating tensions between the two countries. The summit will deliberate on the deployment of East African Community (EAC) troops and their role in dealing with negative forces in the eastern DRC, especially the M23.

“Since 2023 marks the 10th Anniversary of the PSC Framework, the summit will focus on the revitalisation of the framework and will consider a plan to enable this. The current crisis caused by the clashes between Sudan Armed Forces and Rapid Support Forces will likely be discussed during the summit,” the statement read.

The summit is expected to be held from Thursday to Saturday, May 6.

The Presidency reflected on the history of the PSC Framework – also known as the Addis Ababa Agreement – which was signed some 10 years ago.

“At the time, signatories to the agreement included Angola, Burundi, the Central African Republic, the Republic of Congo, the DRC, Rwanda, South Africa, South Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia. In early 2014, Kenya and Sudan became the 12th and 13th signatories of the framework.

“The PSC Framework’s key mandate is to end recurring cycles of devastating conflict in eastern DRC which impact on stability and development in the Great Lakes region. The framework also aims at addressing the root causes of conflict in eastern DRC and the Great Lakes Region,” the Presidency said. – SAnews.gov.za

Source: South African Government News Agency