March 7 (EUROPA PRESS) –
The March 23 Movement (M23) rebel group announced on Tuesday the entry into force of a ceasefire with the aim of “opening the way to direct dialogue” with the Government of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) to try to reach a peace agreement that puts an end to the fighting in the east of the country.
“The M23 declares an effective ceasefire that comes into force this Tuesday, March 7, 2023, at 12:00 p.m. Bunagana time, to open the way for direct dialogue with the Kinshasa government,” said the spokesman. of the political wing of the group, Lawrence Kanyuka.
The M23 has indicated that the decision is in line with the results of the contacts held in Angola and “the decisions adopted in different regional summits” in Burundi, Kenya and Ethiopia, “all of them aimed at finding a peaceful solution to the ongoing conflict in eastern DRC”.
Thus, he said that “he takes the opportunity to thank all the regional leaders who have participated in the efforts to listen and understand the problems and for their incessant efforts to restore peace and security in the eastern DRC”.
The group has called on regional countries and the international community to “spare no effort to contribute to ongoing efforts to restore peace and stability in the eastern DRC and the region as a whole.”
“The M23 reiterates its availability to peacefully resolve the ongoing conflict in eastern DRC, although it reserves the full right to defend itself in the event of being attacked by the coalition forces of the Kinshasa government,” it said, before stressing that “it will spare no efforts to protect the civilian population and their property.”
The statement was published one day after the death of at least two people in clashes between the Army and the M23 in the town of Karuba, located in the province of North Kivu, according to the president of civil society in Kamuronza, Léopold. Busanga, in statements given to the Congolese news portal Actualité.
The M23 is a rebel group made up mainly of Congolese Tutsis and operating mainly in the North Kivu province. Following a conflict between 2012 and 2013, the RDC and the group signed a peace agreement in December. In these combats, the DRC Army had the support of United Nations troops.
The group launched a new offensive in October 2022, intensified as of November, which has caused a diplomatic crisis between the DRC and Rwanda over their role in the conflict. UN experts pointed out in December to the existence of “substantial evidence” of “direct intervention” by the Rwandan Army in the conflict.
They also highlighted a collusion between the Congolese Army and various armed groups, including the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR) and the Mai-Mai, to combat the M23, including the proposal by armed groups to “mobilize 600 combatants”. to reinforce the ranks of the Armed Forces.
Rwanda has accused the DRC of supporting the FDLR — a rebel armed group founded and composed mainly of Hutus responsible for the 1994 genocide in Rwanda — and of using the Mai-Mai militias — Congolese nationalist militias formed to defend their territory. against the numerous rebel groups that have been active since the 1990s– in the context of the conflict. Likewise, he has denounced discrimination and acts of hate against the Tutsi minority in the neighboring country.
