A number of Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) working on peace and conflict-related issues in both Uganda and DRC have come out to issue a joint statement calling for an end of violence against civilians by ISIS-DRC also known as ADF and tasking leaders in both countries to add more efforts in bringing peace to the region.
This joint statement is one of the outcomes of a 3-day conference called “UG-DRC Defections conference” that took place in November last year in Kampala bringing together experts, government officials and CSO representatives from both DRC and Uganda to discuss issues of defection and reintegration from ADF/ISIS-DRC. The joint statement reads thus;
That both countries put in place or operationalize policies and strategies aimed at preventing and countering violent extremism with a clear defection strategy;
Encourage regional cooperation between the government of Uganda and Congo to strengthen the security of life and property in North Kivu and Ituri and in other areas that are at risk of ADF and ISIS-DRC;
That a clear communication strategy is put in place for both countries to help with state and non-state actors to ensure that the right information is given and by the right people inclusive of the community;
Have in place clear and well-established Rehabilitation and Reintegration strategies for all the actors following the right legal frameworks that include both state and non-state actors in operation;
Embrace comprehensive, inclusive and participatory approaches that focus on democratic governance and human rights, economic empowerment, poverty eradication, and ending inequalities and discrimination among the population;Work on an all-of-society approach to addressing Violent Extremism issues so as to complement the governments’ focused interventions where all actors are involved;
Establish well-coordinated spaces for bilateral exchanges and learning between different civil society groups and the military in Uganda and DRC on the issue of preventing violent extremism; Urge the political representatives of DRC Ministry of foreign affairs and internal affairs in this conference to popularize these recommendations at the different levels of government so that ADF/ISIS-DRC can completely be eliminated in DRC.