Calls for ceasefire, dialogue in eastern Congo amidst ongoing deadly conflict
Angola further called for the resumption of the Nairobi peace process under former President Uhuru Kenyatta which was mandated to address internal conflict within eastern DRC.
Calls for dialogue and adherence to the ceasefire agreed upon in August dominated the second United Nations Security Council (UNSC) meeting on the situation in the Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) even as the country called for harsh penalties against Rwanda for their alleged role in the M23's invasion of Goma city.
Angola, which has been leading peace talks between Rwanda and the DRC, noted that the UNSC is the oldest last resort for international peace and security. It said that its mandate is clear and must be respected and upheld.
More To Read
- Kagame fires warning shot at Ramaphosa as tensions over DR Congo conflict escalate
- EAC summit urges DR Congo government to engage with M23 rebels directly
- US urges UN action to stop Rwanda, M23 rebels offensive in eastern DR Congo
- Refugees, surrendering DRC soldiers and stranded truckers seek refuge in Rwanda
"Today we have one simple and clear message to this council, the conflict in DRC must cease and the warring parties must return to the negotiating table. We demand the immediate cessation of hostilities, the withdrawal of M23 from occupied areas as well as the end of its establishment of a parallel administration in DRC territory."
"We use the signatories of the August 24 ceasefire agreement to resume dialogue without pre-conditions urgently. In this context, we call on both parties to return to the Luanda process under the facilitator João Manuel Gonçalves Lourenço, President of the Republic of Angola," the Angola Representative said adding that military action would not bring the security situation to an end.
The country further called for the resumption of the Nairobi peace process under former President Uhuru Kenyatta which was mandated to address internal conflict within eastern DRC.
"We encourage the resumption of contact between his excellency Uhuru Kenyatta, former President of the Republic of Kenya, and the facilitator of the East African Community with the mandate of armed groups in eastern DRC including the M23 under the Nairobi Peace process to address the grievances that have led to the current level of insecurity in the DRC," Angola said.
The DRC foreign Minister Thérèse Kayikwamba Wagner insisted that the Council needs to act against Rwanda noting that delayed action had caused the death of four additional South African soldiers under the SADC mission SAMIDRC in the last 48 hours.
"These victims are nothing less than a result of criminal acts that constitute crimes against humanity and war crimes perpetrated by the RDF in complete impunity over the silence of this council," she told the council.
On its part, Rwanda said it remained committed to dialogue with the DRC via the Luanda process but noted that the DRC remains unwilling to engage over the issue of M23 by expelling them from the Nairobi peace process.
"The remaining security issue between Rwanda and the DRC was the AFC/M23 question that was to be addressed unfortunately in the Ministerial meeting on the 14th of December, the DRC categorically refused any commitment to dialogue with the AFC/M23. This then prevented the consensus on a draft peace agreement to be signed the following day by Heads of state, therefore the only solution was to postpone the summit," Rwanda said.
Rwandan security officers escort members of the DRC armed forces (FARDC) who surrendered in Goma on January 27, 2025. (Photo: REUTERS/Jean Bizimana)
The agreement signed in Luanda, Angola, by the foreign ministers of Kinshasa and Kigali had established a ceasefire in the province of North Kivu, which went into effect starting the midnight of August 4, 2024, and was to be supervised by a strengthened ad hoc verification mechanism but was broken shortly after intense fighting continued between the warring parties.
Nairobi peace process
At the meeting, however, DRC begrudgingly said it would engage the M23 under the Nairobi peace process.
"The M23 excluded itself from the Nairobi process by renewing attacks against the FARDC. The government of the DRC has nonetheless, expressed its willingness to include the M23 in the Nairobi process. We reject Rwanda's obsession and attempts to elevate the M23 to the level of an interlocutor deemed fit to sit at the same table as a legitimate government. 30 years down the line we have never stooped to the level of demanding and expecting to its brothers and sisters in the FDLR who are still in our country, we have not stooped to that level," the DRC Foreign Minister later said.
On her part, Monusco's Vivian van de Perre told the council from Goma that the fighting of the past week has severely hampered supply convoys and consumed many resources held by Monusco's units, damage to camps, including water tanks, generators, and vehicles, has further exacerbated the situation.
Members of the M23 armed group walk alongside residents in a street of the Keshero neighborhood in Goma on January 27, 2025. (Photo: STR/AFP)
"We stress that military action cannot resolve this conflict. All parties must cease hostilities and commit to political dialogue to prevent further civilian suffering," she implored.
She also confirmed that Monusco has received a large number of people seeking refuge, including officials and various elements who have surrendered their arms, which were collected by the main force in the mission, Uruguay's army.
The army then confirmed that Goma City remained calm on Tuesday night and the same was confirmed by other persons currently in Goma who said the sporadic gunfire that had been heard within the outskirts of the city and inside the city earlier during the morning had died down as the M23 took over control of the city ahead of their establishing authority against calls for their withdrawal.
"Since noon (DRC time) there have been no reports of fighting in the area surrounding Goma Airport and the base of the "Uruguay IV" Battalion. The personnel who were injured during the morning received medical attention at the Hospital and are doing well. The rest of the personnel of the National Contingent are in perfect health," Uruguay's army said in an update a few hours ago.
Earlier, the African Union (AU) Peace and Security Council had convened an emergency ministerial-level session on the conflict in the Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo that condemned M23, ADF, and FDLR attacks, and demanded their disarmament, noting that it remained opposed to foreign military support to armed groups.
"It urged adherence to ceasefire agreements, resumed dialogue under the Luanda and Nairobi Processes, and stressed there is no military solution," a communique released after the session stated in part.
The UNSC meeting took place hours after several embassies in Kinshasa were torched and looted by irate mobs that were protesting against Rwanda and M23's invasion of Goma city attracting the condemnation of the country's partners who condemned the actions as violations of the
The DRC government later in a statement called for a measured response against the protesters by embassy security personnel but later, at the UNSC meeting said if the #UNSC fails to intervene in ending the invasion, "then it is the street that is going to take charge".
"If this advice fails, the street will take care of it. The street has no order or temperament," Kayikwamba Wagner, told the Council on Tuesday.
The death toll from three days of fighting in Goma is estimated to have led to the death of at least 100 people and left nearly 1,000 wounded.
More than 178,000 others have also fled Kalehe territory in South Kivu when the M23 took over Minova, with more than 34,000 of them seeking refuge in already crowded existing IDP camps in and around Goma.
President William Ruto has convened a virtual EAC Heads of State summit today on the security situation in Eastern DRC and a similar SADC extraordinary summit has been scheduled for Thursday.
Top Stories Today
