UN Secretary-General António Guterres on Thursday strongly condemned the latest M23 attack in South Kivu, which has triggered massive population displacement and reignited tensions despite a recent peace agreement. Guterres called for an “immediate and unconditional cessation of hostilities.”
The new offensive, launched by the M23 armed group in several localities in South Kivu, including Kamanyola, Luvungi, Katogota, and Uvira, has caused civilian casualties. According to the UN, the violence has displaced more than 200,000 people since December 2.
The violence has forced tens of thousands of Congolese to flee into neighboring countries, primarily Burundi, where over 50,000 refugees have been registered in the Ndava and Gatumba areas. The UN warns that the arrivals—mostly women and children—are arriving “exhausted and injured,” and that the humanitarian response is complicated by a critical lack of funding and a cholera epidemic in some areas. UNHCR is also supporting the reception of refugees in Rwanda at the Nyarushishi transit center.
In Uvira, which fell under M23 control on Wednesday, the situation was generally calm on Thursday, though sporadic gunfire and an explosion killed several civilians. OCHA (UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs) is working to secure humanitarian operations and pre-position emergency stockpiles.
The UN expressed concern about the risk of “regional destabilization” and called on all parties to respect the commitments of the Washington Agreements and the Doha Framework. Special Envoy Huang Xia is currently conducting a diplomatic tour to try to prevent the collapse of the peace process.
The M23’s new offensive is particularly destabilizing as it occurs just days after Presidents Tshisekedi and Kagame had ratified an agreement intended to end hostilities, and less than a year after the M23 seized Goma and Bukavu.
DM/ac/Sf/fss/abj/APA