The United States on Monday denounced “blatant ceasefire violations” in the Democratic Republic of Congo by M23 rebels, who took control of a key town in the east of the country on Saturday.
Washington denounced Monday January 6 “blatant violations of the ceasefire” in the Democratic Republic of Congo by M23 rebels, who took control of a key town in the east of the country on Saturday.
“Continued advances by the M23, including the capture of the town of Masisi this weekend, are undermining efforts to achieve a negotiated peace in eastern DRC, while harming civilians in the region and causing their displacement”State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said in a statement. The M23 “must immediately cease hostilities and respect the ceasefire”he added.
Conflict between Kigali and Kinshasa
This armed group supported by Rwanda and its army, according to UN experts and several countries, took Masisi on Saturday, located about 80 km north of Goma, the capital of the North Kivu province. Since November 2021, the M23 rebellion (for “March 23 Movement”) has seized vast swaths of territory in eastern DRC, rich in natural resources and torn apart by conflicts for 30 years.
Congolese Presidents Félix Tshisekedi and Rwandan President Paul Kagame were due to meet in December for a summit organized in Luanda by Angolan head of state Joao Lourenço, designated mediator of the African Union (AU) in the conflict between Kigali and Kinshasa.
Canceling a summit
An agreement “for the restoration of peace and stability in eastern DRC” was to be put on the table but the two parties failed to agree on the terms, leading to the summit being canceled at the last minute.
In his press release, the spokesperson for the State Department judged «vital» that both the DRC and Rwanda respect their commitments to this Luanda process.
World
