MADRID Jan. 7 (EUROPA PRESS) –
The United States Government has condemned this Monday “the flagrant violations” of the ceasefire by the militias of the March 23 Movement (M23) in the east of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), after it took the city of Masisi, capital of the homonymous territory in the province of North Kivu.
“The continued advances of the M23, including the seizure of the town of Masisi this weekend, undermine efforts to reach a negotiated peace in eastern DRC, while harming and displacing civilians in the area,” reads a statement. statement from the US State Department.
The diplomatic spokesman, Matthew Miller, has asked the M23 – supported by Rwanda and sanctioned by the US and the UN – to “immediately cease hostilities and respect the ceasefire”, while he has reiterated his call for Rwanda withdraws its troops from the DRC.
“To end the conflict and suffering, it is vital that both the DRC and Rwanda fulfill their commitments to the Luanda Process mediated by Angola and ensure that the strengthened ‘ad hoc’ verification mechanism is in place,” he concluded.
The M23 is a rebel group composed mainly of Congolese Tutsis that operates mainly in the province of North Kivu. After a conflict between 2012 and 2013, a peace agreement was signed, although the group launched a new offensive at the end of 2022.
The situation has caused a diplomatic crisis between the DRC and Rwanda over their support for the group, raising fears of a large-scale conflict. Kigali, for its part, accuses Kinshasa of repressing Congolese Tutsis with the support of groups such as the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR), founded and composed mainly of Hutus responsible for the 1994 genocide in Rwanda.
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