Briefing Security Council on Goma Attack, Senior UN Official in Democratic Republic of Congo Urges De-escalation to Avert ‘Third Congo War’
As the Security Council convened an emergency meeting for the second time in three days to address the worsening situation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, a senior United Nations official warned that escalating attacks by the 23 March Movement, or M23, continue to kill civilians and peacekeeping personnel in and around the city of Goma.
Vivian van de Perre, Deputy Special Representative for Protection and Operations in the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO), voiced alarm that clashes in the eastern part of that country have resulted in massive displacement. Consequently, MONUSCO has received a large number of people seeking refuge, including officials and various elements who have surrendered their arms. However, MONUSCO bases are not able to accommodate the large number of surrendering elements and civilians seeking refuge. “Moreover, our bases are not safe themselves,” she stressed.
The Mission is storing voluntarily relinquished or abandoned weapons in accordance with international standards, she reported, while casualty-evacuation efforts remain a significant challenge for seriously injured peacekeepers. She warned that troops are now running out of critical equipment — especially water, food, medical supplies and blood — while the proliferation of weapons in Goma poses a significant risk as combatants blend into the civilian population and abandoned military depots are looted by civilians.
Urging all parties to guarantee the protection of life, ensure access to basic services and prevent sexual violence, she called for immediate action to alleviate the suffering of civilians. Moreover, ethnically motivated attacks in a region with a very sensitive history need to be taken seriously. Appealing for high-level diplomatic channels to ensure that critical airports, border points and humanitarian access routes are reopened without delay, she urged: “Resuming the Luanda Process is of utmost urgency to ensure a path towards de-escalation and to avert the looming threat of a third Congo war.”
And, stressing that attacks on UN peacekeepers may constitute war crimes, she called MONUSCO “a beacon for myriad vulnerable groups seeking protection”. However, the Mission has been severely impacted by heavy direct and indirect fire over the last few days, and must address the logistical, human-rights and humanitarian challenges it is facing. “Let us please draw on our humanity and do our utmost to bring an immediate end to such levels of violence and suffering,” she urged.
In the ensuing debate, the representative of Sierra Leone — also speaking for Algeria, Guyana and Somalia — cited significant African diplomatic efforts since 26 January to support the Congolese people. Nevertheless, he stressed: “But what is needed now is the commitment of both Rwanda and the DRC [Democratic Republic of the Congo] to engage in direct negotiations under the Luanda Process.” Allowing Goma to remain under the control of a rebel group, he stated, “sends a disturbing message about the ability — or willingness — of the international community to prevent threats to international peace and security from flourishing.”
Other Council members echoed those concerns, with France’s delegate noting that, “as we speak, M23 is taking control of Goma with the support of Rwanda”. Dialogue that has been initiated under the Luanda and Nairobi Processes must resume as a matter of urgency, he stressed. The United Kingdom’s delegate, voicing alarm over the unfolding humanitarian crisis, observed that hundreds of thousands of people who have fled M23’s advances — a repeated occurrence for many — are now on the move again “with virtually nowhere safe for them to go”. He urged: “The cycle must end.”
“We have all seen the devastating images — shelling and heavy artillery in the city centre of Goma, civilians fleeing, overcrowded hospitals and ongoing looting,” said his counterpart from Denmark. Expressing concern over the threat of urban conflict and sexual violence following the influx of armed elements and the Goma prison escape, she added that human-rights defenders — who now fear individual persecution and ethnically motivated attacks — are also at grave risk.
The representative of Panama joined calls for the conflicting parties to cease hostilities and adhere to international humanitarian law, while Slovenia’s delegate warned that the risk of the conflict escalating into a wider regional crisis must not be underestimated. “Our message is clear: the violence must stop, and diplomacy must take the lead,” she asserted. Echoing that, the speaker for Greece called on the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Rwanda “to return immediately to the table of negotiations”.
The Republic of Korea’s delegate added that Rwanda must refrain from escalating the conflict, cease all support to M23 and promptly withdraw any unauthorized military presence from the territory of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The United States’ representative affirmed that “Rwanda’s support to M23 remains wholly at odds with its robust support to UN peacekeeping”. However, “hope is not lost; there is an end in sight to this fighting and a path for a regional dialogue”, she noted, calling on Council members to abandon the “delusion of short-term military solutions” and work towards durable peace.
Meanwhile, China’s delegate commended MONUSCO personnel “for sticking to their posts under extremely dangerous circumstances”, also calling on Kigali and Kinshasa to return to diplomatic dialogue. Pakistan’s delegate asked the UN Secretariat and MONUSCO to urgently present a plan to ensure peacekeepers’ safety and security. Noting that African institutions will play an important role in bringing the decades-long conflict to an end, he stressed that MONUSCO must be adequately reinforced and equipped to discharge its mandate.
However, the Russian Federation’s delegate stressed that attempts to settle the crisis will not bear fruit if the Great Lakes countries do not decisively tackle illegal exploitation and smuggling of natural resources. Extra-regional players and large transnational corporations must review their relations with these resources, he said, adding: “These States have all the instruments to stop the hot phase of the conflict.”
For her part, Thérèse Kayikwamba Wagner, Minister for Foreign Affairs, International Cooperation and Francophonie of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, stated that “the madness that Kigali has plunged us into has caused victims everywhere”. Assuring that her Government is taking all necessary measures to protect accredited diplomatic missions in the country, she noted that Congolese Armed Forces, supported by MONUSCO and Southern African Development Community (SADC) troops, continue to fight courageously — but this “cannot mask the scale of the tragedy”. The humanitarian situation continues to deteriorate, with more than 500,000 new internally displaced persons in January. Meanwhile, Rwanda Defence Forces “and their stooges in the M23” have occupied her country’s towns and villages and set up a parallel administration in violation of international law.
Statements that the crisis is an African problem requiring an African solution “betray the spirit of international solidarity” and collective security, she stated. She demanded the immediate withdrawal of Rwandan troops and cessation of hostilities, with targeted sanctions against the Rwanda Defence Forces’ chain of command. Further, Rwanda must be withdrawn as a troop-contributing country. “If this Council fails, then it is the street that will take charge,” she stressed, calling for action on Rwanda’s declaration of war against her country.
Responding, Rwanda’s delegate condemned attacks in the district of Rubavu, which killed five civilians and injured 35 more, stressing: “Rwanda will always stand for peace, as we have the most to lose.” However, the coalition of anti-Rwanda forces poses an existential security threat, he said. Observing that the deteriorating security situation in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo is caused by the obsession of that country’s President for a military solution and “thirst for regime change” in Rwanda, he added that two unilateral decisions by that leader stalled the Nairobi Process.
Pointing to the large coalition comprised of the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda, European mercenaries and Burundian Armed Forces, he added: “The international community, including some members seated in this Council, have their fair share of the blame in what is happening today in eastern DRC.” Calling for the withdrawal of foreign troops, he said that MONUSCO can be useful in restoring peace by stopping its support for a “national army with a regime-change mandate”. He added: “The Luanda Process must not be personalized or taken as an end in itself, but as a tool to resolve security concerns.”
Other African States echoed calls for M23 to withdraw, with Angola’s representative further insisting on an end to the establishment of parallel administrations in the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s territory. “This is a make-or-break moment,” he said, which requires wisdom and pragmatism from the parties and stakeholders, including the UN, the African Union and subregional organizations. The conflict must cease, and the warring parties must return to the negotiating table.
“It is a contradiction in terms that a major UN peacekeeping troop-contributing country could provide resources to an illegal armed group that is conducting offensives against peacekeepers,” observed South Africa’s representative. Underscoring that the ultimate sacrifice of South African peacekeepers should not be in vain, she urged the Council “to always protect those who value, safeguard and execute the mandates adopted in this Chamber”.
As a troop-contributing country, Guatemala’s delegate reiterated its “tireless support for peace efforts on the way”, and Uruguay’s representative said that national contingents must be given logistical and supply support to enable them to address both the humanitarian crisis and the consequences of Congolese troops’ handover of weapons. Noting that his country has also actively engaged in UN peace efforts, Senegal’s delegate warned: “We cannot allow the situation to deteriorate into a global conflict.” Meanwhile, Zimbabwe’s representative, as SADC Chair, called for reforms — including of the Security Council — to better respond to the unique challenges affecting Africa.
On that, Burundi’s representative observed that the eastern region of the Democratic Republic of the Congo has become a “theatre of untenable massacres” fuelled by foreign interests. He asked: “Where is the Security Council, which is so ready to act in other conflicts? Should we interpret this silence as bias?” If no tangible action is taken to condemn those responsible and thwart their plans, “we risk becoming the witnesses of a disaster — and history will hold us directly accountable”, he stressed.