President Félix Tshisekedi met Tuesday evening with the caucus of national deputies elected from Ituri province to discuss the security and humanitarian situation in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), APA learned on Wednesday.
The meeting took place at the African Union City.
According to the Congolese presidency, Ituri’s parliamentarians provided an assessment of the overall situation to the head of state, “whom they thanked for giving them ample time and freedom” to address the challenges facing the country’s eastern region, particularly in Goma, which has been under the control of the M23 rebel group since January 26.
“The head of state has tasked us with becoming partners for peace,” said national MP Mbodina Iribi Pitchout, the spokesperson for the caucus, emerging from the meeting.
“The President of the Republic is sending us as actors and messengers to reassure the people that they have not been abandoned. This fight will continue until victory,” he added.
Mbodina Iribi also expressed the caucus’ support for the DRC armed forces and the pro-government Wazalendo militias engaged on the front lines.
“Our role is to stand by these uniformed men who are fighting for our country and to support our population, especially in Goma,” he stated.
A week after seizing Goma, the M23 rebels and their allies announced on Monday a unilateral ceasefire set to begin on February 4, offering a glimmer of hope to negotiators calling for an end to the violence. The conflict has left more than 1,000 dead and forced nearly 400,000 people to flee their homes.
Controlling a vast portion of North Kivu province, the anti-government coalition justified its unilateral truce on humanitarian grounds.
However, international observers believe the ceasefire could merely be a tactic by M23 to buy time and strengthen its positions ahead of a new offensive.
Negotiations to resolve the conflict pit two powerful adversaries against each other: President Félix Tshisekedi’s government and the Rwandan authorities, who are indirectly represented by the M23 leadership.
The relationship between Tshisekedi and his Rwandan counterpart, Paul Kagame, remains tense.
The two leaders are locked in a complex standoff, with Rwanda accused of backing the rebels, while Kigali claims Kinshasa is failing to curb Hutu militias allegedly responsible for persecuting Tutsis—a legacy of the 1994 genocide.
ODL/te/lb/as/APA