United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Monday named former Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo as his special envoy for international efforts to addressing the rising violence in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).
Obasanjo "will work with the leaders of the region and the international community to bring about a lasting political solution" in the African country, Ban told reporters at the UN headquarters.
The announcement came amid deteriorating security situation in the DRC, although a fragile ceasefire between government troops and rebel fighters appears to be holding.
Ban, who has just returned from a visit to south Asia, said he spent "a great deal of time" on the phone with UN officials and world leaders discussing the situation in the DRC.
"In all these conversations I emphasized that there can be no military solution to the crisis in eastern Congo," the UN chief said. "Our efforts must focus on political negotiation."
Ban said he has had repeated conversations with President Joseph Kabila of the DR Congo and Paul Kagame of Rwanda, directly or through his envoys.
"I am also working closely with world leaders, including those of the African Union, the European Union, and U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.
He described the start of direct dialogue between the presidents of the DRC and Rwanda as a "promising development."
Ban said both Kagame and Kabila have expressed their willingness to meet with the UN chief, "possibly this week or early next week."
"The conflict along the Rwandan and Congolese border has gone on too long, with catastrophic consequences," Ban said. "We need peace -- an end to fighting so that the region's people can enjoy a measure of stability and prosperity."
In another related development on Monday, Ban reinstated the former Force Commander of the United Nations Organization Mission in the DRC (MONUC), Lt. Gen. Babacar Gaye of Senegal, as the new interim Force Commander to "oversee this crucial mission for the next months."
Gaye, who served as MONUC force commander between March 2005 and October 2008, replaces Lt. Gen. Vicente Diaz de Villegas y Herreria of Spain, who resigned late October, citing "personal reasons."
Ban thanked MONUC's peacekeepers as "a thin blue line against chaos" and urged for world support.
"I am doing my best to reinforce our peacekeepers and humanitarian teams," the UN chief said. "I call on world leaders to support us in every way possible."
Source:Xinhua
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