The Transitional National Legislative Assembly (TNLA) on Monday adopted resolutions based on the findings of the fact-finding mission regarding the violence and armed conflict in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and the Plenary Assembly of the Forum of Parliaments of the Great Lakes region.
Charles Majak Aleer Deng, head of the delegation, presented two reports during a parliamentary session in Juba on Monday.
The report on the fact-finding mission regarding the violence and armed conflict in the Eastern DRC was conducted from July 2023 to March 2025.
The report addressed regional insecurity, focusing on the situations in Sudan, South Sudan, and Rwanda.
The Fifteenth Ordinary Session of the Plenary Assembly of the Forum of Parliaments of Member States of the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region was held in Luanda, Angola, from 20 to 26 April 2025.
Speaking during a parliamentary session on Monday, Majak condemned the violent conflicts by armed actors that have led to loss of lives and caused immense suffering and displacement to the population in Eastern DRC. He said this led to forced migration, resulting in refugees or IDPs.
“We express concern at the alarming humanitarian situation in the Eastern DRC, and particularly at the significant increase in the number of people in need of protection and humanitarian assistance,” Majak said. “We urge humanitarian agencies to continue responding to the needs of internally displaced IDPs, refugees, victims of sexual violence, and other vulnerable groups of the population. We appeal to all armed groups operating in the DRC illegally to cease per various peace processes.”
“We encourage the Government of DRC to seize national unity, strengthen the rule of law, and protect territorial integrity,” Majak added.
He said the mission underscored the need for all concerned parties to preserve and advance the laudable progress towards finding a sustainable path to ending the conflict in the Eastern DRC. He added that they noted with optimism the meaningful political commitment by both the DRC and Rwanda to address longstanding differences bilaterally with constructive agreements.
Majak said the Plenary Assembly noted the recent evolution of the political, security, and humanitarian situation in the Great Lakes Region. He said the Great Lakes Region expressed concern over recent clashes in Nasir County of Upper Nile State between government troops and the Nuer militia group, White Army, in March 2025.
According to Majak, the plenary called on the leadership of South Sudan to seek dialogue to resolve political tension between President Salva Kiir Mayardit and First Deputy President Dr. Riek Machar Teny.
For his part, Peter Lomude Francis, a lawmaker representing Yei River County on the South Sudan Opposition Alliance (SSOA) ticket, said that during deliberations on the Great Lakes Region, they expressed concern about the fighting in Nasir.
“I want to say the incident that happened in Nasir is now all over the country, including the constituency where I come from,” he stated. “It happened in Nasir, went to Ulang, Longechuk, part of Akobo, and it came here to the outskirts of Juba. Then to Tambura, Maridi, Yambio, Morobo, Yei, and some parts of Eastern Equatoria and other parts of the country.”
Meanwhile, Gabriel Guot Guot, a National Agenda legislator representing Northern Bahr Ghazal State, stressed the need for parliament to implement the resolutions adopted during the plenary of the Great Lakes Region.
“We have to ask ourselves how we are going to implement these resolutions, the resolutions about South Sudan,” he said.
TNLA Speaker Jemma Nunu Kumba said the House adopted the resolutions with all the accommodations and observations, and it will only implement issues related to South Sudan.
“What the parliament resolved should also be communicated to the executive because these resolutions will have to be implemented by the executive,” she said. “However, parliament has to identify which resolutions are related to us and which ones we can implement, or where we can play a role in implementation.”
Anei Deng Akok, a SPLM-IO MP representing Northern Bahr el Ghazal State, criticized the assembly for discussing foreign issues rather than national issues affecting the people.
“Let us discuss issues of South Sudan. What is your problem with the issues in Congo? Trump has decided to handle these issues from Washington. I beg your leadership, let us discuss our problems,” he charged. “A small bag of maize flour is SSP 500,000; these are issues we need to discuss instead of issues of Congo.”