At present, the Central African region is experiencing rapid economic growth. The process of regional integration has made positive progress. The situation in the Great Lakes Region has visibly improved, and the fight against the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) has yielded positive results. Regional countries and organizations have strengthened their willingness and enhanced their capacity to maintain peace and stability. China welcomes all those developments.

However, peace and stability in the Central African region still faces many challenges. China is concerned about the continued volatility in the Central African Republic and the serious humanitarian situation and hopes that the parties concerned in that country will immediately cease all violence and resolve their differences through dialogue and consultation.

Recently, the situation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo has made positive progress. We encourage the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the countries in the Great Lakes region to seize the current positive momentum, continue to strengthen cooperation and work together towards restoring durable peace, stability and development in the region.

China hopes that the international community, on the basis of respect for the sovereignty of the countries concerned, fully leverages the leadership and coordination abilities enjoyed by the United Nations and the relevant regional organizations, works in synergy so as to jointly fight piracy in the Gulf of Guinea and the terrorist and extremist forces in the Sahel region. Furthermore, the international community should also pay attention to the effect that the situation in other parts of Africa might have on the Central African region, strengthen coordination and adopt a holistic approach in order to address the situation.

China strongly condemns the LRA, which has continued to attack and harass civilians in several countries and calls upon that group to immediately cease its illegal activities, proceed to disarm and take part in the disarmament, demobilization, reintegration, repatriation and resettlement programmes.

We commend the efforts by regional countries to fight the LRA forces and to support the ongoing efforts of the African Union to implement the Regional Cooperation Initiative. We welcome the fact that the United Nations has taken the initiative to cooperate with the African Union to fight the LRA and we hope that the international community will be forthcoming in providing financial assistance to the United Nations and the African Union to ensure that the relevant initiatives can be effectively implemented.

Since its inception approximately two years ago, the United Nations Regional Office for Central Africa (UNOCA) has made tremendous efforts in terms of coordination and facilitation to maintain regional peace and stability and to fight the LRA. China expresses its appreciation in that connection. We stand ready to continue to support UNOCA and Special Representative of the Secretary-General Abou Moussa to discharge their mandate and to continue to play a positive and constructive role in maintaining peace, stability and development in the Central African region.