By Frank Kamuntu
Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni has said he is ready to mediate efforts to end the conflict between the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) government and the March 23 Movement (M23) rebels.
John Mulimba, Uganda’s minister of state for foreign affairs in charge of regional cooperation, told lawmakers on Wednesday that the president is available to support a peaceful resolution to the hostilities between the two warring parties.
The relations between Rwanda and DRC are on thin ice over the advances of the March 23 Movement (M23) rebel group in the eastern DRC. The M23 claimed to have taken over Goma, the capital of the North Kivu province and regional urban hub this week.
“President Museveni and the government of Uganda remain available to participate in regional peace initiatives to ensure the cessation of hostilities as soon as possible,” Mulimba said.
He said the conflict in the central African country and the Great Lakes region in general cannot be resolved through military means.
Uganda continues to monitor the security situation in the Great Lakes region while taking into account the importance of ongoing bilateral arrangements with the DRC government, Mulimba said.
Meanwhile, Uganda Airlines has suspended its services to Kinshasa (FIH), the capital of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
On Thursday, the Entebbe-based (EBB) airline canceled its FIH flights due to safety risks in Central Africa, which is currently experiencing widespread unrest.
Uganda Airlines stopped its services after violent protests targeted foreign embassies in FIH. Protestors attacked various embassies in the Congolese capital – including the Belgian, French, Ugandan, Kenyan, and US embassies – demanding the international community pressure Rwanda over its alleged involvement in the attack on GOM, thus creating a lack of safety in the city.
The carrier said it would continue to monitor the situation in the DRC and resume flights once they are safe.
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