The European Union has «strongly» urged the Rwandan authorities to «stop supporting» the rebel group March 23 Movement (M23) in order not to exacerbate the conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), in line with the Congolese government’s own appeals.
The Rwandan Executive has repeatedly denied its alleged support to the rebels, despite the fact that UN experts affirmed in a recent report that Rwandan authorities maintain a «direct intervention» in the neighboring DRC.
The EU External Action Service, headed by Josep Borrell, has applauded the work of these experts and considered the conclusions of their report «deeply worrying», also confirming the alleged Rwandan involvement.
The EU has called on all countries in the region to «prevent the provision of any support to groups active in the DRC», while urging the Congolese authorities to stop any collaboration between the army and armed movements and to take «all necessary measures» to protect the civilian population.
«The EU reiterates its full solidarity with the populations of eastern DRC, who continue to pay the price for the cycles of violence, human rights violations and abuses,» Borrell’s office said in its note.
The armed activity, he warned, «is worsening a humanitarian crisis that affects 27 million people throughout the country», for which the European bloc has offered to help in any effort aimed at the «stabilization» and «sustainable development» of the area.
Source: (EUROPA PRESS)
