UN calls for ceasefire in Congo

The United Nations Security Council unanimously adopted a resolution on Friday calling for an immediate and unconditional ceasefire in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).

Rwanda-backed rebels have taken control of two key cities in Congo’s mineral-rich eastern region in less than a month, following a major escalation in their long-standing conflict with Congolese forces.

Nicolas de Rivière is the Representative to the United Nations in France: “There is no military solution to the conflict. The M23 offensive, supported by Rwanda, must end. The priority now is to reach an effective, unconditional, and immediate ceasefire agreement.”

Rwanda’s President, Paul Kagame, has accused Congolese President Felix Tshisekedi of neglecting the concerns of Congo’s ethnic Tutsis and disregarding previous peace agreements.

“While it took the Council some time to reach a consensus, its resilience is evident. On behalf of the Government and all citizens of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, especially those from Bunagana to Kamanyola, Goma, Sake, Minova, Nyabibwe, Kalehe, Kavumu, and Bukavu, I sincerely thank all members of the Council,” said Zénon Mukongo Ngay, the Representative to the United Nations in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

The rebels are supported by roughly 4,000 troops from neighbouring Rwanda, according to U.N. experts. At times, they have threatened to march as far as Congo’s capital, Kinshasa, located over 1,000 miles away.