The European Union (EU) Ambassador to the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Nicolas Berlanga Martinez, made his fifth official visit to Goma since taking office in April 2023.
During this visit on 2 September 2024, he met with the Military Governor of North Kivu, Major General Peter Cirimwami, to discuss the ongoing security crisis in the east of the country.
During this meeting, Ambassador Berlanga Martinez was keen to stress that the solution to the crisis in the east of the DRC must come primarily from the Congolese people and their leaders. “It is not the European Union that holds the key to the solution to the conflict. The key is in the hands of you the Congolese, the Congolese authorities, and obviously at the regional level other authorities,” he said.
While recalling the EU’s role as facilitator in previous peace agreements, the European diplomat stressed the importance of local and regional ownership in resolving the conflict. This statement comes at a time when the security situation in eastern DRC remains worrying, despite efforts at national and international level.
The ambassador nevertheless reaffirmed the EU’s continued commitment to the DRC. He highlighted the substantial assistance provided by the European Union, including an annual investment of over €100 million in North Kivu province, mainly to support displaced populations.
However, Berlanga Martinez acknowledged the limits of this assistance given the scale of the problem. “I can understand that there is a certain feeling of helplessness that has emerged because of the length of this conflict and the difficulties,” he admitted, while ensuring that the EU maintains its long-standing commitment to the DRC.
The situation in eastern DRC is alarming and the UN is even raising the risk of a regional conflagration. Tensions between the DRC and Rwanda not only persist, but have also been exacerbated by repeated clashes between the March 23 Movement (M23) and the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of Congo (FARDC). This is the cause of the massive displacement of thousands of Congolese living in this region.
This article is originally published on politico.cd
