The Secretary-General takes note of the appointment of Mr. Samy Badibanga as Prime Minister ahead of the formation of a transitional government of national unity in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), in line with the political agreement of 18 October.

The Secretary-General welcomes this first concrete step in the implementation of the political agreement, which is expected to culminate in the holding of credible elections in the country. He calls on the Government to be formed by Prime Minister Badibanga to create a climate conducive to upholding the fundamental rights and freedoms essential to political debate and credible, inclusive elections, as called for in Security Council resolution 2277 (2016).

The Secretary-General welcomes the mediation efforts led by the Conférence épiscopale du Congo (CENCO) and calls on political groups that did not sign the political agreement to remain engaged and work towards the peaceful resolution of their differences. He further calls on all political actors to continue working in good faith and in a spirit of compromise towards a political solution that paves the way for peaceful, credible, inclusive and timely elections in the DRC, in keeping with the Constitution and the African Charter on Democracy, Elections and Governance.

The Secretary-General thanks Prime Minister Augustin Matata Ponyo for his leadership over the last four years and looks forward to working with the Government led by Prime Minister Badibanga.