Kinshasa, 23 May 2013 – During his joint visit to Kinshasa on 22 May 2013 with the President of the World Bank Group, the United Nations Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon said he would convene a meeting in May 2013 to review the progress made thus far by the Framework-Agreement for Peace, Security and Cooperation in the Democratic Republic of Congo and the Region.

"I will convene a meeting on 26 May to review the status of the implementation of the Framework-Agreement for Peace, Security and Cooperation in the Democratic Republic of Congo DRC with my Special Envoy, Ms. Mary Robinson, and my Special Representative, Mr. Meece," said the Secretary-General in an interview he gave to the UN-sponsored Radio Okapi, underscoring that the purpose of his joint visit with Mr. Jim Yong Kim of the World Bank to the sub-region is to back the implementation of the said Agreement signed in Addis-Ababa on 24 February 2013, and to show its benefits to the Congolese people.

Moreover, Mr. Ban expressed deep concern over renewed conflicts between the M-23 rebels and the National Armed Forces (FARDC) just 14 km outside of Goma.

According to humanitarian sources, the new fights that broke out last Monday displaced some 30,000 people into the city of Goma. "I am deeply concerned by the continuing recurrence of violence caused by M-23, and I sincerely hope that all the parties concerned, particularly the FARDC and also M-23, should resolve all this issue through negotiation. The Kampala negotiation should be resumed to bring an end to this violence," the Secretary-General said.

From Kinshasa, the United Nations Secretary-General and the President of the World Bank Group travelled to Goma, accompanied by the Chief of the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (MONUSCO), Roger Meece.

Penangnini Toure/ MONUSCO