(Bloomberg)-Security in the Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo deteriorates in the middle of numerous conflicts, including clashes between Rwanda supported rebels M23 and the Congo Army, on Friday the UN Security Council warned.
Despite the peace agreement between the US between Rwanda and Congo signed in June and the ongoing interviews between M23 and Congo in Qatar, the members of the Council at the emergency meeting called the US called the US.
“Unfortunately, the development of the security situation on Earth did not correspond to the progress he made on the diplomatic front,” the council told Africa’s assistant to Africa Martha Ama Akya Zobee. “The number of civilian victims has increased dramatically,” continues rape and forced recruitment of children to armed groups.
Violence in the Eastern Congo has persisted since the mid -1990s, when the consequences of Rwandan genocide spread along the border, provoking more wars and local conflicts, some of which continue to this day.
The current M23 rebellion is the latest incarnation of several proxy groups supported by Rwanda to deal with its security fears and protect its interests in the area rich in minerals, although Rwanda denies the support of rebels.
M23 caused international outrage at the beginning of this year, when it took control of the key shopping centers Goma and Bukava on the border of Congo with Rwanda.
The occupation led Trump’s administration to double the effort to stop the conflict.
‘Ongoing fighting’
Despite the US pressure, M23 continues to achieve incremental profits by supporting members of the Rwandan army in July at least 319 civilians only in four villages, according to the Office for Human Rights, Zobee said.
The villages were the fortresses of the group known as the democratic forces for the liberation of Rwanda or FDLR, which has links to the perpetrators of Rwandan Hutu genocide against Tutsis. Rwanda and M23 have long complained about cooperation with the Congolese rebels FDLR.
Congo agreed to neutralize the group in the framework of the US support.
Ambassador of Congo with the UN, Zenon Ngay Mukongo, said the alleged M23 massacres were focused on ethnic killing and asked the advice to strengthen sanctions for responsible.
The ongoing struggles in the east go against the “spirit and letter of both-lateral peace agreement DC-RWANDA and the Declaration of the DRC-M23 principles,” said Council Dorothy Shea, US Ambassador to the UN.
“The United States will hold responsible peacemakers for peace and we are inviting the members of the Council to do the same,” she said, adding that the US had intelligence that Rwanda supported M23 attacks this month.
UN Ambassador Rwanda, Martin Ngoga, accused the Congo Army of attacks and strengthened its position against M23, but said that his government continues to support two peaceful trials.
Ngoga said the meeting was held “in the middle of the grave and unfounded accusations against my country” and called for an independent investigation into killing in the villages of Hut.
Violence in other parts of the east east is also on the rise, the members of the council said.
In the Ituri province, the safety “has deteriorated sharply since July”, when Codeco and Zaire Rebel has killed more civilians, the UN stay said.
The Islamist Allied Democratic Forces have also killed 185 civilians since the beginning of July and hundreds were kidnapped in the same period, she said.
About 5.9 million Congols are currently displaced due to conflict, making it “one of the most acute humanitarian situations in the world,” said stay.
More such stories are available at Bloomberg.com
(Tagstotranslate) Democratic Republic of Congo
