The Right Honourable Madam Speaker, Ms. Nelly Mutti, SC, MP, FAPRA, arrived in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) on 18th January, 2025 as Leader of Delegation and Sitting President of the Parliamentary Forum of International Conference on the Great Lakes Region. (FP-ICGLR). The main objective of the visit is for Madam Speaker, as sitting President of the FP-ICGLR, is to acquaint herself with the operations of the Forum whose Secretariat is based in Kinshasa.
Speaking on Sunday, 19th January, 2025, when she met the Leadership of the Parliament of the Democratic Republic of Congo Speaker Mutti stated that she was in the country to get first-hand information from the Secretariat on the operations of the Secretariat of the FP-ICGLR. She extended appreciation to the Government of DRC for facilitating her visit and for courtesies extended to her personally and to her Delegation as well as for hosting the Headquarters of the Secretariat of the FP-ICGLR.
Speaker Mutti emphasized the importance of an effective Secretariat coupled with sufficient resources in order to implement the Strategic Plan of the FP-ICGLR. In line with the main objective of the organisation to maintain peace in the region, she said that there was need to resolve the conflicts that existed in Eastern Congo and the Central Africa Republic. She reiterated what the President of the Republic of Zambia, Mr. Hakainde Hichilema, had said that insecurity in the DRC would also make the Region insecure. Madam Speaker called upon all Parliaments in the ICGLR to engage in resolving peace in the stated areas. She stated that it is only when there was peace in the entire region of the ICGLR that there can be development in terms of more roads, network and direct flights among member countries. She added that Parliamentary Diplomacy was key in addressing conflicts in the region.
In welcoming Speaker Mutti, the First Deputy Speaker, Mr.Isaac Jean Claude Tshilumbayi Musawu stated that the DRC had nine geographic neighbours. These countries are diverse in culture, including French speaking, English speaking (Anglophone) and Arabic in South Sudan. This diversity poses a challenge for the DRC to ensure effective communication.
Further, he said that there was need for the DRC Parliament to facilitate meetings between the Republican President His Excellency Mr. Tshisekedi with fellow Heads of State in the region. He affirmed the Speaker’s sentiments on the need for peace in resolving conflicts in the Eastern Congo. He admitted that DRC had been at war with Rwanda in the Eastern Congo. He further said that Zambia was a model for peace in the region and that the DRC could learn from Zambia on collaborating on this security issue in the region. He further stated that the DRC was a democratic country that was ready to trade with its neighbours and countries in the region as well as beyond.
The Honourable Madam Speaker will among other meetings also meet Ambassadors from the ICGLR accredited to the DRC as well as staff of the ICGLR Secretariat.