Præsidenterne i DR Congo, Rwanda og Uganda opfordrer i en erklæring oprørsgruppen M23 til at standse sine angreb i den sydøstlige del af kæmpelandet. FN bakker op om erklæringen.
NEW YORK, 25. November 2012: UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon welcomed the joint statement.
Ban Ki-moon also welcomed the outcome of the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region Summit, held Saturday in the Ugandan capital of Kampala and attended by several African heads of State, which urges the rebel group to stop the violence and threats to depose the congolese Government.
“The Secretary-General calls on the M23 to immediately lay down their arms in accordance with the agreements reached in Kampala, and comply with the immediate withdrawal of their forces from Goma,” he noted.
“The Secretary-General encourages the parties to build on the dialogue among the leaders of the Great Lakes region to address the fundamental causes of conflict.”
Rebel advance
M23 fighters – a rebel group composed of soldiers who mutinied from the congolese national army in April – occupied Goma, the capital of North Kivu, on Tuesday after launching a new wave of attacks last weekend.
Fighting has continued and the rebels are now said to have reached the town of Sake, which is 20 kilometres west of Goma.
The advance of the M23 has uprooted some 60.0000 civilians and fuelled numerous allegations of human rights abuses by both the rebels and the national army, known by the French acronym FARDC.
The violence also prompted the UN Organization Stabilization Mission in the DR Congo (MONUSCO) to deploy attack helicopters in support of the FARDC.
Evolving challenges
Mr. Ban reiterated his commitment to support the efforts of African leaders, and his determination to ensure that the UN presence in the DR Congo is adjusted “to respond to the evolving challenges.”
MONUSCO currently has some 1.500 ‘blue helmets’ in Goma, and another 6.700 and 4.000 in the provinces of North and South Kivu, respectively, including, in some places, behind the M23 lines.
In Goma, the ‘blue helmets’ control the city’s airport and are conducting regular patrols, in line with their mandate to provide protection for civilians.
Kilde: FNs Nyhedstjeneste
