Visit of a multidisciplinary assessment mission in the democratic republic of Congo (DRC) and Burundi
ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia, January 21, 2010/African Press Organization (APO)/ — A multidisciplinary assessment mission of the African Union (AU) will be travelling today,
21 January 2010, to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Burundi, to assess the
situation in both countries and make recommendations on the contribution that could be made
by the AU and its Member States towards post‐conflict reconstruction and peace building in
both countries, within the context of the AU Framework on Post‐Conflict Reconstruction and
Development adopted by the AU Executive Council at its session held in Banjul, The Gambia, in
June 2006.
It should be noted that both the DRC and Burundi are engaged in post‐conflict
reconstruction processes following the remarkable progress made these two countries in
recent years and the restoration of peace.
The mission, which includes experts from the AU and the concerned Regional Economic
Communities, will stay in both countries for a total period of the month. It will meet with the
concerned Burundian and Congolese authorities and representatives of the international
community.
This mission is a follow‐up to the decisions taken by the Peace and Security Council
(PSC) of the AU at its 163rd and 199th meetings, held on 17 August and 22 December 2008,
respectively. In these decisions, the PSC requested the Chairperson of the Commission to take
the required measures to significantly enhance the contribution of the AU to the post‐conflict
reconstruction process in the Democratic Republic of Congo and in Burundi, including through
the early dispatch of a multidisciplinary mission in both countries.
The mission is also part of the follow‐up of the Plan of Action adopted by the Special
Session of the Assembly of the Union on the Consideration and Resolution of Conflicts in Africa,
held in Tripoli on 31 August 2009, which stressed the need to mobilise greater support from
Member States towards post‐conflict reconstruction and development efforts in the DRC and
Burundi, and the Tripoli Declaration proclaiming 2010 as the Year of Peace and Security.
Specifically, the Session requested the Commission to organise a pledging conference that
would enable African countries to express their solidarity with these two countries, in
accordance with the AU Framework on Post‐Conflict Reconstruction and Development.
SOURCE
African Union Commission (AUC)
