Uganda has repatriated former rebels of the M23 combatants back to their home country the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Over 60 former rebels were sent back home today through Entebbe International Airport aboard a UN military plane.
The repatriation is part of the peace agreement that involved Uganda, Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo under the 8th Regional Oversight Mechanism Summit and the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region (ICGLR) summit signed in October 2017.
The Summit adopted the Brazzaville Declaration and 2017 – 2019 Regional Action Plan on the eradication of statelessness, aiming at ending statelessness in the sub-region by ratifying the statelessness international conventions; undertaking legal reform; strengthening civil status systems, and developing National Action Plans, among other commitments.
The negotiations that led to the voluntarily repatriation of the M23 former combatants involved the United Nations, South African Development Community and African Union.
Robert Masolo, the ambassador in charge of Special Duties in Uganda’s Foreign Affairs ministry handed over the ex-combatants to the DRC ambassador to Uganda Jean Pierre Massala at a function held at Entebbe airport today.
This follows a recent call from the newly elected DRC President Felix Tshisekedi in which he encouraged all Congo combatants to return home.
DRC ambassador to Uganda Jean Pierre Massala urged the remaining ex-combatants to make a decision of returning home as quickly as possible so as to support the new leadership of the country.
ICGLR member States include the Republic of Angola, Republic of Burundi, Central African Republic, Republic of Congo, Democratic Republic of Congo, Republic of Kenya, Republic of Rwanda, Republic of Sudan, Republic of South Sudan, United Republic of Tanzania, Republic of Uganda and the Republic of Zambia.