Kigali, 20-24 November 2023 – Rwanda hosted the 56th Ministerial Meeting of the United Nations Standing Advisory Committee on Security Questions in Central Africa (UNSAC).

The five-day gathering convened foreign ministers and experts from 11 member countries of the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS) to assess various topics with a focus on security and stability issues in the region.

During this meeting, Rwanda was elected to chair the Bureau of the United Nations Standing Advisory Committee on Security Questions in Central Africa for the next 6 months. View photos here.

In his remarks, Minister Vincent Biruta called for joint efforts to address security issues in the region. He stated that Central Africa is facing numerous security threats, ranging from the problem of small arms to questions linked to migration crises, climate change, terrorism, extremism, and unconstitutional changes, among others.

Minister Biruta further emphasized the need to identify and adopt coherent strategies to counter all potential threats to the stability of the sub-region. He also reiterated Rwanda’s commitment to achieving the goal.

“I hope this meeting will give new impetus to the search for solutions to the security challenges facing our sub-region. I would also like to reiterate Rwanda's willingness to work with each of you to achieve this goal,” he highlighted.

 On the sidelines of the meeting, Minister Biruta met his counterparts, Regis Onanga Ndiaye from Gabon and Gareth Haddad Guadalupe from São Tomé and Príncipe. He also met with Mr. Huang Xia, UN Special Representative in the Great Lakes Region, and Abdou Abarry, Head of UNOCA. Click here for more details.

View more pictures here about the ministerial session.