Kinshasa, Jan 24 (UNI) The UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres expressed alarm on Thursday over the resumption of hostilities by the March 23 Movement (M23) rebellion in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), as a key regional city is under threat.
Guterres condemned the renewed offensive launched by the M23 at the beginning of the year and its expansion into the provinces of North Kivu and South Kivu, including the recent seizure of Sake, which increased the threat to Goma, North Kivu’s capital and an important and populated city, read a statement by his spokesperson, Stephane Dujarric.
Sake, a city about 20 kilometers from Goma, is considered Goma’s last barrier. The M23 took Goma in late 2012.
As the offensive took a devastating toll on the civilian population and heightened the risk of a broader regional war, the Secretary-General called on the M23 to immediately cease its offensive, withdraw from all occupied areas and abide by the ceasefire agreement that went into effect last August.
The M23 is a group of former rebels from the National Congress for the Defense of the People. Its name comes from the March 23, 2009, agreement it signed with the DRC government.
In December 2013, the M23 signed a peace accord with the government, in which it agreed to demobilize its fighters and transform itself into a political party. M23 leaders, however, have accused the government of failing to respect that agreement and resurfaced in late 2021.
