UN envoy says Great Lakes nations can achieve peace only through coordinated action

UNITED NATIONS -- It is only through coordinated, coherent and harmonious action that the Great Lakes nations can achieve peace, a UN envoy said on Wednesday.

"Only coordinated, coherent and harmonious action will enable the Great Lakes to follow the path of peace and sustainable development," Xia Huang, the Special Envoy of the Secretary-General for the Great Lakes region, told a Security Council meeting on the situation in the Great Lakes region.

Xia reiterated his concerns about the deteriorating security environment and rising tensions in the region resulting from the resurgence of the M23 armed group. He added that during his many missions in the region, strong expectations were expressed to the world body "for political, technical and financial support to peace efforts."

Xia told council members that stabilizing the region and restoring confidence require "a sustained and significant mobilization of the international community."

Riparian countries in the African Great Lakes region include Burundi, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Rwanda, Zambia, Tanzania and Uganda.