This was the view put forward by Ambassador Dang Dinh Quy, head of the Vietnamese mission to the United Nations, during a teleconference on October 6 held by the United Nations Security Council (UNSC).

The Vietnamese diplomat acknowledged the efforts by the DR Congo Government to stablise the local situation and boost international co-operation as a means of dealing with challenges relating to security and peace.

He therefore expressed his concern over instability in the African country’s eastern region, which has been plagued by acts of violence stretching back decades, challenges to the humanitarian situation, as well as the critical impact of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, Ebola, and other diseases in the country.

Ambassador Quy also hailed international support and regional collaboration, whilst affirming that the African Union and other sub-regional organisations have made important contributions to maintaining peace and stability in the DR Congo.
During the course of the teleconference, Leila Zerrougui, head of the UN’s Stabilisation Mission in the DR Congo (MONUSCO), said the coalition Government is in the process of stepping up efforts aimed at stabilising the nation. This will be done through intensifying dialogues between different parties and socio-political organisations.

Whilst security has been stabilised in the majority of Congolese territory, rebels have managed to maintain their grip on eastern parts of the African country, Zerrougui said, adding that violence in North Kivu, South Kivu, and Ituri provinces has adversely affected the livelihoods of locals.

During the meeting UNSC member states underscored the necessity of dealing with the roots of these conflicts, as well as promoting co-operation to settle instability in the eastern region.

The MONUSCO was originally set up in 1999 with the aim of supporting the DR Congo to maintain peace and stability locally.