Even as they confront the COVID-19 pandemic, countries in Africa’s Great Lakes Region continue to improve political, security and economic cooperation in line with a 2013 Framework agreement, UN Special Envoy Huang Xia told the Security Council on Tuesday.
The international community must step up efforts to end instability around Africa’s Great Lakes so that millions there can benefit from its riches, the UN Special Envoy for the region told the Security Council on Thursday.
The UN’s outgoing Special Envoy for Africa’s Great Lakes region on Tuesday said countries there had made “important steps towards durable peace and stability” in the last 20 years, resulting in a region that is now “largely peaceful”.
The illegal-exploitation of natural resources across Africa’s Great Lakes region by armed groups is an “economic lifeline” that needs to be cut.
That’s according to UN chief Ban Ki-moon, briefing a UN Security Council debate on peace and security in the region.
The Great Lakes area consists of four countries in East and Central Africa.