The authorities of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) have denounced Tuesday that the rebels of the March 23 Movement (M23) have not withdrawn from the locality of Kibumba, located in the province of North Kivu (east), as they announced they would do during the day on Friday.
The head of the Kibumba grouping, Boniface Kishire, indicated that «there has been no withdrawal of M23 rebels from the area». «I was yesterday at the level of Ruhunda. I noted the presence of M23 elements. The whole area is occupied by the M23. I saw the situation myself,» he said.
Kishire called on the M23 to withdraw from the area and appealed to the population to «be patient until the withdrawal of the terrorists». «The message I can send to the government is that diplomacy must be reinforced while the security forces act so that the inhabitants are safe,» he added.
Mambo Kawaya, president of the civil society of Nyiragongo, expressed himself along these lines, emphasizing in a statement granted to the Congolese news portal Actualité that «the M23 rebels have never withdrawn from Kimbumba», without the group having pronounced itself on the matter.
The DRC Army said on Saturday that the M23 announcement «is a hoax and a publicity stunt to distract the Congolese and the international community», while again denouncing that the rebel group receives support from Rwanda, something denied on multiple occasions by Kigali.
The M23 claimed on Friday that it had reached an agreement with the verification mechanism of the East African Regional Force (EACRF) for its withdrawal from the town of Kibumba, in what it described as «a gesture of goodwill, which is carried out in the name of peace».
«We hope that the Congolese government will grab this opportunity with both hands and also work to achieve peace in our country,» said the M23, accused since November 2021 of carrying out attacks against Army positions in North Kivu, despite the Congolese authorities and the M23 signed in December 2013 a peace agreement following fighting recorded since 2012 with the Army, which was supported by UN troops.
The situation has led to a spike in tensions between DRC and Rwanda as Kinshasa accuses Kigali of supporting the rebels. UN experts stated in a recent report that the Rwandan authorities maintain a «direct intervention» in the African country through their support to the group.
Source: (EUROPA PRESS)
