2023-12-16 18:57:20
MADRID, 16 Dic. (EUROPA PRESS) –
The High Representative of EU Foreign and Security Policy, Josep Borrell, expressed this Saturday his satisfaction with the agreement reached for the extension of the ceasefire in the east of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) for two more weeks. after a first truce of 72 hours.
“The EU welcomes the extension of the ceasefire in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo and urges all parties to respect it scrupulously. We congratulate the United States for this initiative and call on all parties to intensify their collaboration with the processes from Nairobi and Luanda”, Borrell has published on X, formerly Twitter.
US National Security Council spokeswoman Adrienne Watson confirmed the expansion on Friday. “This additional step toward peace is a testament to the commitment of the parties to the conflict, as well as regional neighbors, to reduce tensions,” Watson wrote in a statement shared by the White House.
The spokesperson highlighted the “recent engagement” of the Director of National Intelligence of the United States, Avril Haines, with the president of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Felix Tshisekedi, and the president of Rwanda, Paul Kagame, and her previous trip to both capitals on November 19 and 20, with which an agreement has been reached.
“The extension of the two-week ceasefire, which began on December 14 and will continue until December 28, commits the parties to the conflict to advance the implementation of previous confidence-building measures, including the guarantee of the implementation of the directive of the Government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo of November 21 against any form of support for the rebels of the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR)”, he explained.
In this way, he added, “the continued withdrawal of the forces occupying the town of Mushaki, the positions along the RP1030 highway and the places west of the N2 highway will also be achieved.”
Finally, the North American country has praised “the parties to the conflict” for the support they have shown for the extension of the ceasefire and the use they have made of “American diplomatic and intelligence resources” to ensure its compliance. the agreement. “The United States reiterates its support for the resumption of the Nairobi and Luanda processes, which seek to address the current and historical factors that perpetuate this long-standing conflict,” he added.
The M23 is a rebel group made up mainly of Congolese Tutsis and operates mainly in the province of North Kivu. After a conflict between 2012 and 2013, DRC and the group signed a peace agreement in December. In these battles, the Congolese Army had the support of United Nations troops.
The group launched a new offensive in October 2022, which intensified in November, causing a diplomatic crisis between the DRC and Rwanda, as Kinshasa accuses the neighboring country of supporting the M23. Kigali has accused Kinshasa of supporting the FDLR, an armed rebel group founded and staffed primarily by Hutus responsible for the 1994 genocide in Rwanda.
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