The President of the Democratic Republic of Congo, Felix Tshisekedi, has called on the UN Security Council on Monday to impose individual and collective sanctions on the authorities of the Rwandan State and leaders of the M23.
Tshisekedi thus asked «to impose individual and collective sanctions on the Rwandan authorities, on the M23 terrorists, as well as on the Rwandan State that violates international law and commits crimes and serious violations of human rights in North Kivu», declared Tshisekedi during an event with the diplomatic corps accredited in Kinshasa, according to the Congolese radio station Radio Okapi.
«To continue to hide the truth already known to all and to refuse to discuss this report in order to cover up the perpetrators of these abominable crimes is to promote impunity,» he said, referring to a Congolese text already distributed at the UN.
In any case, Tshisekedi reiterated that his country «remains committed to the peace process in Nairobi and Luanda and reiterates its confidence in the appointed mediator», although he warned that he will act without naivety or weakness.
The Congolese leader warned that «neither yesterday, today nor tomorrow will any compatriot accept to cede the slightest centimeter of national territory to Rwanda». «We will defend the integrity of our territory, the sovereignty and independence of our country whatever the cost,» he reiterated.
Relations between the DRC and Rwanda have gone through moments of crisis since the massive arrival in eastern DRC of Rwandan Hutus accused of having massacred Tutsis during the 1994 Rwandan genocide. After a certain period of diplomatic relaxation, the conflict regained intensity in May, when the Congolese government summoned the Rwandan ambassador to denounce the country’s alleged support to the M23.
On Saturday, the DRC denounced that «Rwandan special forces» had crossed the border with the intention of «perpetrating a new massacre against the Tutsi population of the DRC» and blamed it on the Congolese Army.
In fact, the Congolese Army directly links the alleged deployment of these forces to the recent advance of the M23 into Masisi territory and the capture of the city of Kitshanga.
Source: (EUROPA PRESS)
