UN Chief raises alarm over escalating violence in Eastern DRC
The M23 rebels have escalated their offensive and recently captured Sake, a key town in South Kivu, heightening the threat to Goma, the capital of North Kivu.
The United Nations (UN) Secretary-General António Guterres has expressed deep concern over a renewed offensive by M23 rebels in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), warning of the devastating impact on civilians and the growing risk of a regional conflict.
In a statement released on Thursday by his spokesperson, UN Secretary-General António Guterres denounced the renewed violence in North Kivu province.
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The M23 rebels have escalated their offensive and recently captured Sake, a key town in South Kivu, heightening the threat to Goma, the capital of North Kivu. This intensification of conflict has displaced around 230,000 people, further worsening the humanitarian crisis in the area.
The secretary-general emphasised the toll of these hostilities on local populations and called for an immediate cessation of violence. He warned that the situation poses a serious risk of igniting a broader regional war, given the complex dynamics of armed militias and inter-state tensions in the area.
Guterres "is alarmed by the resumption of hostilities" and condemned "in the strongest terms the renewed offensive launched by the 23 March Movement (M23) since the beginning of the year," said a statement from his spokesman, Stephane Dujarric.
"This offensive has taken a devastating toll on the civilian population and heightened the risk of a broader regional war," the statement added. Demanding the violence "immediately cease," he added.
The UN peacekeeping mission in the region, which withdrew from South Kivu in June 2024, has continued to hold key positions in North Kivu, including Goma and Sake. However, clashes between M23, the Congolese Armed Forces, and other armed groups persist, destabilising the region.
The M23 movement emerged in 2012 as a splinter group from the Congolese army, formed by former members of the now-defunct National Congress for the Defence of the People (CNDP). The mineral-rich eastern DRC has remained a battleground for various militias since the regional wars of the 1990s, with violence periodically erupting despite international efforts to establish peace.
At the end of 2013, the FARDC had driven the armed group out of the last positions it occupied in the mountains of North Kivu.
The M23 resurfaced at the end of 2021 and has since forced Congolese troops out of several areas.
The United Nations has called on all parties to prioritise dialogue and civilian protection, urging regional stakeholders to work collectively to prevent further escalation.
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