STORY: South Africa to help pacify conflict-laden eastern DR Congo: president
DATELINE: July 7, 2023
LENGTH: 00:05:32
LOCATION: Kinshasa
CATEGORY: POLITICS

SHOTLIST:
1. various of South African President Cyril Ramaphosa's official visit to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC)
2. SOUNDBITE 1 (French): FELIX TSHISEKEDI, DRC President
3. various of a joint press conference
4. SOUNDBITE 2 (French): FELIX TSHISEKEDI, DRC President
5. various of a joint press conference

STORYLINE:

South Africa will work alongside the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) to silence the guns in its eastern part which has faced multiple security challenges for decades, said South African President Cyril Ramaphosa on Thursday.

Cyril Ramaphosa made the statement at a joint press conference with DRC President Felix Tshisekedi during his 48-hour official visit to the Congolese capital Kinshasa since Wednesday.

As part of the Nairobi peace Process for the eastern DRC, members of the East African Community (EAC) formed a regional force to pacify this part of the country. In May 2023, the Southern African Development Community (SADC), of which the DRC and South Africa are both members, approved the deployment of a regional force to intervene in the DRC, at the SADC Extraordinary Organ Troika Summit in Namibia.

Congolese President Felix Tshisekedi meanwhile welcomed the efforts of SADC alongside the DRC, before indicating that SADC forces will remain on standby pending the assessment of the DRC authorities on the results of the Regional force of the EAC, currently deployed in the province of North Kivu (east) to fight against armed groups, including more particularly the rebels of the M23.

According to Tshisekedi, SADC soldiers are always "at the disposal of the DRC to intervene at any time".

SOUNDBITE 1 (French): FELIX TSHISEKEDI, DRC President
"Regarding the SADC regional force, I think there may be a misunderstanding. We did not ask SADC for help. Within SADC, when one member is attacked, the others have a duty of solidarity. This is what the SADC expressed by inviting me to this meeting of the Troika summit, which is the peace and security mechanism of the SADC, so that I can explain the situation in the DRC. And it is following this duty of solidarity that the SADC expressed its desire to come to the DRC because it is obliged by (SADC's) charter. Since then, it is now a question of implementation. As you know, there is the regional force of the EAC which is on the ground. You must first observe how it goes. And the SADC force remains on standby and always at the disposal of the DRC to intervene at any time. So we don't need to ask."

During Ramaphosa's visit, the DRC and South Africa also signed several memorandums of understanding, in particular on the exploitation of essential minerals, infrastructures, and economic integration.

SOUNDBITE 2 (French): FELIX TSHISEKEDI, DRC President
"We need to further enhance cooperation between our states. I spoke about the Pretoria and Kinshasa axis. This means that between Kinshasa and Pretoria you have two countries which are potentially rich, which are demographically, well populated and which can, with their influences, boost the entire area of southern Africa, and bring it to another level economically which we all want."

Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Kinshasa.
(XHTV)