UNITED NATIONS — The top UN official in Congo on Monday welcomed a two-week humanitarian ceasefire in the mineral-rich east of the country, saying violence there had reached “alarming levels” and threatened to spark a wider regional conflict.
Special envoy Bintou Keita would not say whether the ceasefire that began last Friday would hold. But she told reporters: “My hope, and I think the hope of all of us, is that the ceasefire will continue in a cessation of hostilities — forever.”
However, Keita told the UN Security Council that she was deeply concerned about the rapid expansion of attacks by the M23 rebel group and the capture of several strategic locations in Eastern North Kivu in the past two weeks, and the spillover into neighbouring South Kivu. This occurred despite numerous operations carried out by the Congolese army, supported by UN peacekeepers and troops from southern Africa, she said.
Keita said that, as UN experts have documented, “the government of Rwanda has stepped up its support for the M23, allowing it to make major territorial gains” in eastern Congo, posing “the very real risk of fueling a broader regional conflict.”
In addition to the M23 crisis, she also strongly criticized a series of “horrific attacks” by the Allied Democratic Forces, Zaire and CODECO armed groups in nearby Ituri province that have left nearly 300 dead and wounded. Further south, she said, the ADF, which has ties to the Islamic State extremist group, has also entered the Lubero region of North Kivu several times, killing “an unprecedented number of civilians,” including more than 90 between June 4 and 7.
Eastern Congo has struggled with armed violence while more than 120 groups fight for power, land and valuable mineral resources, while others try to defend their communities. Some armed groups have been accused of mass killings.
Congo’s President Felix Tshisekedialong with US and UN experts, accuse neighbouring Rwanda of providing military support to M23. Rwanda denies the allegation but in February effectively admitted it has troops and missile systems in eastern Congo to ensure its security, pointing to a buildup of Congolese troops near the border.
US Deputy Ambassador Stephanie Sullivan told the council: “It is irresponsible for Rwanda, as a country that contributes significant troops to the UN peacekeeping mission, to tolerate such behavior by M23.”
She expressed concern about the rapid escalation of the conflict in eastern Congo, saying: “Rwandan military interventions and operations in North Kivu have gone beyond mere support for M23 operations. They have resulted in direct and decisive engagement, allowing Rwandan forces and M23 to establish military dominance in large parts of North Kivu and significantly increase their territorial expansion.”
Sullivan said there are more than 4,000 Rwandan troops on Congolese soil and they have carried out attacks that have killed civilians in need of protection.
Keita said 7.3 million Congolese have been displaced, including 6.9 million in the eastern provinces. Sullivan called for the removal of artillery and heavy weapons from the vicinity of camps in the east for those who have been displaced.
Rwanda and Congo “must take urgent steps to de-escalate the situation, fully engage in regional diplomatic processes, and work to hold accountable all actors responsible for human rights violations – steps that represent the only hope for peace,” the US envoy said.
Sullivan praised the parties in eastern Congo for their efforts in the two-week ceasefire, which was helped by the United States and Angola.
The United States will work with Angola “to monitor and verify,” she said.
With no signs yet of the ceasefire holding, the Congolese and Rwandan ambassadors resumed discussions during the council meeting.
Congolese Ambassador Zenon Ngay Mukongo praised “the United States initiative that has led to a humanitarian ceasefire, which provides respite to the civilian population bearing the brunt of Rwandan aggression.”
But he said that “the well-deserved cessation of hostilities and de-escalation will not be possible as long as Rwanda and its M23 allies continue to fan the flames of conflict.”
Mukongo said the Security Council should demand the unconditional withdrawal of Rwandan troops from Congolese territory or face an arms embargo until the country stops supporting the M23 rebels. The Security Council should also impose sanctions on the Rwandan authorities for their involvement in the illegal exploitation of Congolese natural resources.
“The Democratic Republic of Congo will defend its territorial integrity, its sovereignty and the security of its people at all costs, while remaining open to a political solution to the conflict with Rwanda through diplomatic channels,” Mukongo said. “But that path will only be credible if Rwandan troops effectively withdraw from Congolese territory to allow for a frank and constructive dialogue.”
Rwandan Ambassador Ernest Rwamucyo, whose leader is a Tutsi, responded that Congo and the international community have failed to guarantee the protection of Congolese civilians, especially Congolese Tutsis, who he said “are being ethnically cleansed by armed groups.”
He also reiterated that the FDLR rebel group, which he said is backed by Congo’s highest authorities and has vowed to bring about regime change in Rwanda, remains “a threat to Rwanda and the Great Lakes region”.
Rwamucyo reiterated his support for regional initiatives focused on political solutions and the need to “permanently address the FDLR’s challenges by disarming, demobilizing and repatriating them to Rwanda.”
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