Zambia has joined other countries and regional bodies in securing the peace and stability necessary and a prerequisite to the growth and welfare of the region, Defence Minister Ambrose Lufuma has announced.
Mr Lufuma made the announcement when he attended the 11th High Level Meeting of the Regional Oversight Mechanism (ROM) Summit of the Peace, Security, and Cooperation (PSC) Framework for the Democratic Republic of Congo in Bujumbura. Mr Lufuma said President Hakainde Hichilema had been concerned with instability in some parts of the region and had always insisted that instability anywhere was instability everywhere. He said this was the spirit under which the President Hichilema and Commander in Chief of the Defense Force of Zambia had assigned to attend the meeting.
Mr Lufuma said it was vitaully important that the region maintained and lived in peace and stability as the lack of peace, security and stability impacted negatively on economic growth and development of both the region and individual countries.
He said the purpose of the meeting was to review recent developments in the region as well as progress and challenges in the implementation of the PSC Framework, 10 years after its signing on 24th February, 2013 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
The 11th High level meeting of the ROM of the PSC Framework for DRC and the Region was attended by Several Heads of State and Governments including South Africa’s Cyril Ramaphosa, DRC’s Tshisekedi Tschilombo, Uganda’s Yoweri Museveni, and the host President of the Republic of Burundi, Evariste Ndayishimiye.
Other countries that atternded the meeting included Angola, Central African Republic, Republic of Congo, Kenya, Rwanda, South Sudan, Sudan and the United Republic of Tanzania.
