Luanda - The Secretary-General of the United Nations, António Guterres, reaffirmed his support for the peace efforts led by President João Lourenço to reduce tensions between the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Rwanda.
According to a Declaration by the United Nations (UN), regarding the DRC issue, António Guterres also praises the progress made so far by the Angolan Executive.
For this reason, he urged the parties to remain engaged in the Luanda process and maintain momentum in neutralizing the FDLR and withdrawing Rwandan forces.
In this context, he urged the rapid application of the Reinforced Ad-Hoc Verification Mechanism.
Nevertheless, the Secretary-General expressed concern at the resumption of hostilities in the East of DRC.
For this reason, he condemned, "in the strongest terms", the renewed offensive launched by the March 23 Movement (M23) since the beginning of the year and its expansion into North and South Kivu, including the recent capture of Sake.
In the opinion of the United Nations, these actions increase the threat to the city of Goma.
António Guterres says that this offensive has a devastating price for the civilian population and has increased the risk of a wider regional war.
The Secretary-General calls on the M23 to immediately cease its offensive, withdraw from all occupied areas and comply with the ceasefire agreement of 31 July 2024.
He expressed deep concern about the most recent report of the Group of Experts established in accordance with Security Council Resolution 1533, on the presence of Rwandan troops on Congolese soil and the continued support for the M23.
For this reason, he called on all players to respect the DRC's sovereignty and territorial integrity and to end all forms of support for armed groups, whether Congolese or foreign.
He also exhorted all parties to uphold human rights and international humanitarian law, including by ensuring immediate and unrestricted access to populations in need of humanitarian assistance and respecting the civil character of the locations of internally displaced people.
Furthermore, he reaffirmed MONUSCO's determination to implement its mandate to protect civilians.
For this reason, he strongly condemns the action of any party that puts the safety of UN peacekeepers and civilian personnel at risk.
SC/CF/jmc
