Lakes summit endorses Sudanese proposal to fight negative groups
June 15, 2016 (KHARTOUM) – Sudan on Wednesday said the leaders of the great Lakes region adopted a proposal it made to form ministerial committee to fight the activities of the negative forces in the region.
The Heads of State and Government of the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region (ICGLR), met in Luanda, Angola, on 14th June, 2016 where they discussed the political and security situation in the Region.
Vice President Hassabo Abdel Rahman headed Sudan’s delegation to the summit which was held under the theme of “Accelerating the effective implementation of the Pact and its Protocols for a more democratic and stable Great Lakes Region”.
In a press statement after the return of the Sudanese delegation to Khartoum, State Minister of Foreign Affairs Obeid-Allah Mohamed Obeid-Allah said that the meeting adopted a recommendation proposed by the Sudan calling to form a ministerial committee to address the subversive activities of the Negative Movements in the region.
According to the proposal this committee will include the ICGLR ministers of defence, interior and directors of security and intelligence services. Also the Summit recommended the need for a joint coordination between the state members to limit the impact of the rebel movements.
Obeid Allah went further to say that the speech of the vice president in the closed-door session on Sudan’s efforts to cooperate and coordinate with the neighbouring countries on security issues was largely appreciated by the ICGLR leaders.
The text of the final communiqué released after the end of the 6th ordinary ICGLR summit seen by Sudan tribune says the meeting “Noted with great concern the growing threat of terrorism and radicalization in the Region and internationally, and called for sustained solidarity in fighting this menace with greater vigour and resolve, including implementation of the earlier ICGLR Summit decision by establishing a Committee of Ministers of Defence, Foreign Affairs and Intelligence of ICGLR to expeditiously formulate a strategy and practical actions towards addressing this threat against the region”.
The Lakes leaders also called on the ICGLR member states ” for concerted efforts to neutralize the LRA and the threat posed by this negative force in CAR and the Region”.
Sudan recently declined to join an African Union mechanism to fight the LRA rebels saying this group has no presence in its territory but however vowed to cooperate in this respect when ever is needed.
The regional summit also supported Sudan’s efforts to lift the U.S. “unilateral and coercive economic sanctions” pointing to the “disproportionate and indiscriminate human cost of these measures on the Sudanese civilian population”.
(ST)