Secretary-General Calls on 23 March Movement to Immediately Cease Offensive, Withdraw from All Occupied Areas in Democratic Republic of Congo
The following statement was issued today by the Spokesman for UN Secretary-General António Guterres:
The Secretary-General is alarmed by the resumption of hostilities in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo. He condemns, in the strongest terms, the renewed offensive launched by the 23 March Movement (M23) since the beginning of the year and its expansion into North Kivu and South Kivu, including the recent seizure of Sake, which increases the threat to the town of Goma. This offensive has a devastating toll on the civilian population and heightened the risk of a broader regional war.
The Secretary-General calls on M23 to immediately cease its offensive, withdraw from all occupied areas and abide by the 31 July 2024 ceasefire agreement. The Secretary-General is deeply troubled by the most recent report of the Group of Experts established pursuant to Security Council Resolution 1533 (2004), concerning the presence of Rwandan troops on Congolese soil and continued support to M23. He calls on all actors to respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and to put an end to all forms of support to armed groups, whether Congolese or foreign.
The Secretary-General reaffirms his unwavering support for the peace efforts led by President João Lourenço of Angola to de-escalate tensions between the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Rwanda and commends him for the progress made so far. He urges the parties to remain engaged in the Luanda process and maintain momentum on the neutralization of the FDLR [Democratic Liberation Forces of Rwanda] and withdrawal of Rwandan forces, as well as the swift operationalization of the Reinforced Ad-Hoc Verification Mechanism.
The Secretary-General urges all parties to uphold human rights and international humanitarian law, including by ensuring immediate and unfettered access to populations in need of humanitarian assistance and respecting the civilian character of internally displaced persons’ sites. He reaffirms the determination of MONUSCO [United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo] to implement its mandate to protect civilians. He strongly condemns action by any party that endangers the safety and security of UN blue helmets and civilian personnel.