Congo: UN warns of “escalating insecurity” amid M23 occupation
UN representative in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has warned of “escalating insecurity” as military factions continue to consolidate their slice of the once a unified country, according to AfricaNews via the UN.
Bintou Keita, UN special representative to the DRC said on December 9th at a UN Security Council meeting that: “the prevailing security environment continues to alarmingly exacerbate the humanitarian situation, further intensified by ever-growing climate change challenges.
Almost 6.4 million people are currently displaced due to armed conflicts and natural hazards, said Keita, with multiple epidemics exacerbating the humanitarian situation.
The M23, a Tutsi-led militia which first emerged in 2012 before being defeated by an international coalition, began to rearm in 2021 and currently controls vast swathes of the DRC.
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Keita said: “The M23, a non-signatory of the ceasefire agreement, has consolidated its civilian and military occupation in North Kivu.
“Today, it controls vast areas in the territories of Masisi, Rutshuru, Walikale, Nyiragongo, and Lubero, a space twice as large as what it occupied in 2012.”
While Rwanda has often been accused of supporting M23, with the UN reporting that Rwandan soldiers were fighting alongside the rebels, Uganda, which evidence suggests also backs M23, denied the allegations on behalf of Rwanda.
At the meeting, Ernest Rwamucyo, Permanent Representative of Rwanda to the United Nations, said: “Framing this as intra-African hostility diminishes the complexity of the conflict and the roles of various actors involved.
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“This is not a “Rwanda-DRC issue” but a multifaceted crisis that demands nuanced understanding and coordinated action from the international community.”
The mineral-rich eastern provinces of DRC hold vast amounts of coltan and gold, this wealth being a source of conflict for decades.
A racket, according to Al-Jazeera, has extensively documented by the UN, whereby mined minerals are smuggled across the border into Rwanda where they are sold into global supply chains.
The Congolese claim that M23 play a vital role in the scheme, shipping goods and upholding security.
According to DRC’s finance minister Nicolas Kazadi, his country is losing $1bn every year from the illicit trade.
AfricaNews & Al-Jazeera
