The UN reports the deterioration of security in the provinces of Ituri and North Kivu (DRC)

June 27 (EUROPA PRESS) –

The deputy spokesman for the UN Secretary General, Farhan Haq, reported on Monday about the deterioration of security in the provinces of Ituri and North Kivu, located in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

“The assistant to the secretary general for Africa, Martha Pobee, (…) has told the members of the UN Security Council that, during the last three months, security has been deteriorating in Ituri and North Kivu despite of a pause in the fighting between the March 23 Movement (M23) and the Congolese armed forces,” Haq announced at a press conference.

“The withdrawal of the M23 from the occupied areas has been piecemeal, tactical and political. The armed group still controls a large part of the Masisi and Rutshuru territories, and its offensive repositioning in recent weeks has raised fears that hostilities could resurge in any time,” he added.

In addition, Pobee has stated that more than 600 people have been killed in the last three months by attacks by armed groups in Ituri alone, and has called on all these groups to cease hostilities to restore state authority. He has also notified the “will” of the Congolese authorities to “accelerate the transition process.”

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.