“Foreign Minister Westerwelle welcomes the peace accord for DR Congo and the region which leaders of eleven states signed yesterday in Addis Ababa.

Foreign Minister Westerwelle is counting on this agreement, which arose from UN mediation efforts, to create the impetus for lasting peace in eastern Congo. What is vital now in our view is that the agreement be implemented to the letter.

All signatory states – especially DR Congo itself and its direct neighbours to the east, above all Rwanda – have a duty to help further de‑escalate the situation by consistently fulfilling the commitments they have made in the peace agreement. Among these commitments, urgently needed reforms of DR Congo’s security sector are just as important as ending all external support for illicitly armed groups in eastern Congo.”