The Democratic Republic of Congo on Thursday called for stronger international pressure on Rwanda, accusing it of fuelling violence in the eastern country by using the M23 rebel group as a front for its military operations.
Government spokesperson Patrick Muyaya, speaking at a press briefing with the Association of Accredited Correspondents to the UN (ACANU) in Geneva, urged global powers to take decisive action as the humanitarian situation in Goma worsens.
"Today, we are expecting more pressure from the international community," Muyaya said.
He argued that the international community should not reward the armed groups committing atrocities and seizing more territory.
M23 is a 'proxy' of Rwanda: DRC
Instead, DR Congo is urging the international community to throw its weight behind the Luanda process, he said, adding that the goal is to bring all parties back to the negotiating table to find a peaceful resolution to the conflict.
A treaty was signed in 2022 in Luanda, the capital of Angola, to stop the war in DR Congo.
"We don't need to have another stance of negotiations, because we spent two years negotiating, and there is a plan today," he said. "All the technical questions are already outlined in the Luanda process."
The spokesperson dismissed M23 as a mere "proxy," claiming Rwanda directly commands its operations.
'Terror to the city'
The situation in Goma has become "catastrophic," Muyaya said, with over 3,000 people killed and thousands injured as fighting continues.
"They attacked a city of 3 to 4 million people in broad daylight, including a camp for displaced persons. The goal is clear: to bring terror to the city," he said.
The M23, which claims to defend the interests of minority communities including the Tutsi, renewed its rebellion against the Congolese government in 2022, occupying large swathes of North Kivu province, which borders Rwanda. The region is home to rare minerals.
It captured the city of Goma last month following days of fighting with Congolese forces.
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