APA – Kinshasa (DR Congo) – The political spokesperson of Congolese M23 rebels, Lawrence Kanyuka on Thursday urged humanitarian agencies to provide relief to internally displaced persons (IDP) in Mweso.
The town in North Kivu province was recaptured by the rebels recently after intense gun battle with DR Congolese government troops earlier this month.
Congolese forces backed by Rwandan genocidaire militias of the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR) and Burundian army regulars have launched a wave of attacks against the M23 since they began joint combat operations with the Southern African Development Community (SADC) on January 16th.
“We are asking humanitarian agencies to provide assistance to refugees seeking shelters in the zones under our (M23) control,” Kanyuka told reporters at the official inauguration of local leaders in the Rutchuru zone of North Kivu Province in Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
Latest estimates by the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) indicate that the ongoing conflict between the M23 rebel group and the Forces Armées de la République Démocratique du Congo (FARDC) and their allies has been a major source of violence and instability in the region.
It said that the situation has deteriorated further since the withdrawal of several East African Community (EAC) force bases from the affected territories.
In a related development, M23 military spokesperson, Lieutenant Colonel Willy Ngoma has warned that the M23 has a dignified army to protect the population following latest threats by the coalition of government forces backed by the Burundian army, and SADC.
” We are resolutely committed to protecting the civilian population and we will not tolerate these repeated crimes carried out by government forces”.
CU/as/APA