Amid rising regional tensions and the continuous advance of the 23 March Movement, or M23, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, senior UN officials told the Security Council today that the warring parties must return to the negotiating table and seriously work towards peace, while also welcoming regional efforts to resolve the conflict.
Bintou Keita, Special Representative of the Secretary-General and Head of the UN Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO), noted that this session is taking place in a context marked by the election of a new President of the African Union. Reporting that M23's advance has continued to make progress in North and South Kivu, she said that, in two weeks, the Congo River Alliance has established a parallel administration in Goma. On 16 February, M23 took control of Kavumu airport and Bukavu, also seizing the town of Kamanyola two days later.
Since the taking of Goma, the Movement has prevented MONUSCO's resupply of the troops of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) Mission, and it has taken control of all roads entering and leaving the area. Noting that MONUSCOS's facilities - which shelter civilians seeking refuge - are under pressure and pointing to deteriorating health and hygiene conditions, she added: "This is being used to amplify anti-MONUSCO sentiments". Highlighting recorded searches by M23 of hospitals and homes for soldiers and civilians that oppose the group, she also noted the increased vulnerability of girls and women to conflict-related sexual violence.
Further welcoming the conclusion of the joint summit of the East African Community and SADC on 8 February in the United Republic of Tanzania - which insisted on the resumption of direct negotiations and dialogue in the context of the Luanda and Nairobi processes - she added: "It is crucial that what has been achieved won't be lost."
"At the end of January, we witnessed history repeating itself worryingly," said Huang Xia, Special Envoy of the Secretary-General for the Great Lakes Region, pointing to M23's continuous advancement to strategic areas. Stressing that the risk of regional conflagration is more real today than ever before, he called on States to prevent the undoing of efforts over the past decade. He said that the joint summit of southern and East African leaders marks "a key step in emergence of a regional approach" for a consensus-based crisis resolution and called for merging of the Luanda and Nairobi processes.
Highlighting the 14 February meeting of Heads of State of the African Union Peace and Security Council, he stressed that women and girls must be included in peace mechanisms. "As catastrophic as a situation may appear today, it may grow worse," he warned, calling for resumed dialogue and revitalization of the Addis Ababa Framework Agreement on Peace, Security and Cooperation. Underscoring the need for a regional oversight mechanism, he added: "It is today time to gather around the negotiation table and to candidly discuss the root causes of the conflict."
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