MADRID Jan. 13 (EUROPA PRESS) –
The authorities of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) have decided to suspend the broadcasts of the Qatari channel Al Jazeera for 90 days for “attacking public order and national security” after publishing an interview with the political leader of the rebel group Movement 23 March (M23), Bertrand Bisimwa.
The Higher Council of Communication and Media (CSAC) has stated in a statement that this Al Jazeera interview “is a subversive campaign carried out deliberately with the aim of destabilizing the institutions” of the African country.
Likewise, the CSAC has pointed out that these actions by the chain not only represent an “apology for war, but also incite rebellion against public authority” against national laws, according to the Congolese newspaper ‘Le Potentiel ‘.
Al Jazeera published an interview last Thursday in which Bisimwa stated that the rebels are fighting for their “survival” in the east of the country and insisted that they have promoted dialogue to end hostilities.
The M23 is a rebel group made up mainly of Congolese Tutsis. After a conflict between 2012 and 2013, DRC and the group signed a peace agreement. In these battles, the Congolese Army had the support of United Nations troops.
The group launched a new offensive in October 2022, which intensified in November, causing a diplomatic crisis between the DRC and Rwanda due to their role in the conflict. Kigali accuses Kinshasa of supporting the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR), an armed rebel group founded and composed mainly of Hutus responsible for the 1994 genocide in Rwanda.
Add Comment