Statement by the Republic of South Africa during the United Nations Security Council Briefing on the situation in the Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, delivered by South Africa Permanent Representative at the United Nations Ambassador Mathu Joyini, 26 January 2025

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  • Statement by the Republic of South Africa during the United Nations Security Council Briefing on the situation in the Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, delivered by South Africa Permanent Representative at the United Nations Ambassador Mathu Joyini, 26 January 2025

Mr President,

South Africa wishes to thank you and the members of the United Nations Security Council for convening this meeting to consider as a matter of urgency the deteriorating security and humanitarian situation in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

We thank USG Jean Pierre Lacroix, SRSG Binto Keita and ASG Joyce Msuya for their briefing.

I also wish to acknowledge the presence of Minister Therese Kayikwamba Wagner in this chamber.

It is with profound regret that this meeting is taking place at a time when a number of peacekeepers have lost their lives, and many others injured in the line of duty.

Nine of these fallen peacekeepers are South Africans who showed immense bravery amidst relentless attacks from the M23.

These attacks from the M23 are in violation of the ceasefire that was brokered through the Luanda Process.

We deplore these unwarranted attacks against MONUSCO and the Southern African Development Community Mission in the DRC (SAMIDRC) uniformed personnel who are deployed not only to promote peace, security, and stability in eastern DRC but, by extension, in the African Continent in general.

Our sincere condolences go out to the families of those peacekeepers who have lost their lives, and we wish a speedy recovery to those injured. The cost of being a UN peacekeeper should never be this high.

This Security Council has passed many resolutions that provide clear guidance on such violations carried out against peacekeepers. The Security Council must take decisive action against callous acts aimed at undermining its role and decisions aimed at the maintenance of international peace and security.

This Council must send a clear message that Peacekeepers’ Lives Matter. We must value and safeguard the contribution of those entrusted to carry out the mandates adopted in this Chamber.

Excellencies,

It is concerning that the fundamental principles of sovereignty and territorial integrity enshrined in the UN Charter are being eroded and continue to be violated globally, including in the eastern DRC, with the evident known, and well reported presence of external forces destabilising the country.

It is crucial for the Rwanda Defence Forces to cease support to the M23 and for the M23 to immediately cease all hostile actions and withdraw from occupied areas.

We cannot accept a world wherein non-state actors are armed to do the will of other States, while those States refuse to accept responsibility for unnecessary armed violence and potential war crimes.

Peacekeeping as a tool will be rendered ineffective when the peacekeepers and peacekeeping operations face complex political situations such as that in the eastern DRC when other States gets militarily involved in fuelling the conflict.

The international community can no longer afford to simply watch as this conflict in the eastern DRC continues to displace, maim and kill innocent civilians. The current situation in the eastern DRC requires decisive action from the international community led by this Council.

The Security Council must use the tools at its disposal to act against those who perpetuate the conflict in eastern DRC, including calling for their withdrawal from the DRC.

There must also be a resumption of both the Luanda and Nairobi Processes to find a lasting political solution to the cyclical conflict in the eastern DRC.

South Africa commends His Excellency João Manuel Gonçalves Lourenço, President of the Republic of Angola in his capacity as the African Union Champion for Peace and Reconciliation in Africa for his tireless work on the Luanda Process.

We urgently call on the relevant parties to engage in this process with a view to agree a negotiated settlement that includes peace and stability in the entire Great Lakes region and in the African Continent at large.

For its part, South Africa will continue to play a constructive role in promoting peace and stability in eastern DRC and the entire continent, including through our peacekeeping efforts.

I thank you.

ISSUED BY THE DEPARTMENT OF INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS AND COOPERATION

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