KINSHASA, Aug. 28 — President of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) Felix Tshisekedi on Thursday launched a national dialogue process aimed at promoting peace, national cohesion and state rebuilding.
In an address to the nation, Tshisekedi described the initiative as a sovereign process “by and for the Congolese.” He said the process will include consultations with the country’s various communities and certain leaders from the sub-region. Tshisekedi said an organizing committee will be established by presidential ordinance in the coming days to prepare the dialogue. The initiative comes as the DRC continues to grapple with a prolonged security crisis in the east, the presence of numerous armed groups, and recurring land and communal tensions. Tshisekedi said previous political agreements had failed to durably address institutional weaknesses and the root causes of the country’s crises. He stressed that ongoing diplomatic efforts remain essential to addressing the regional and military dimensions of the conflict in the east, but cannot, on their own, “repair all the fractures” within the country.
Xinhua proud partner of the African Youth Newspaper
