M23 Rebel Group Says Met DR Congo Army Officials, Military Delegates as Nation Seeks Peace
Soldiers of the Congolese Republican Guard walk on the tarmac of the airport in Goma, eastern Democratic Republic of Congo on November 12, 2022.
The military conflict in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has been going on for years, taking different forms with alternating periods of intensified attacks, by the M23 or other armed groups, and fragile ceasefire. M23 rebels based in the Democratic Republic of the Congo have said that they held talks with representatives of the country’s army (FARDC), the East African Regional Force (EACRF), the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Congo (MONUSCO), and other military units.️According to a statement issued by the M23 movement, the meeting took place on December 12 in Kibumba, in the eastern DRC.
"On Monday December 12, 2022, the M23 Movement welcomed in Kibumba the delegates of EACRF, Ad Hoc Verification Mechanism, MONUSCO, EJVM (Enlarged Joint Regional Verification Mechanism), and FARDC," the statement said.
The rebel group stated that it has welcomed “the regional leaders’ efforts to peacefully resolve the ongoing conflict,” noting its readiness for peace talks.“The discussions between the M23 and the delegates of the aforementioned organizations took place in Kibumba in a peaceful atmosphere, thus, the M23 is looking forward to the forthcoming meeting,” the communique read.However, there has been no official confirmation or denial of the meeting from the DRC military or the political authorities of the country. The Congolese officials have repeatedly insisted the group cease hostilities, lay down their weapons and leave occupied territories. The peace initiative, aimed at ensuring ceasefire and peace in eastern DRC, is led by the East African Community (EAC). Apart from the peace process in Nairobi, Angola is hosting talks in Luanda between the DRC and Rwanda, which stands accused by the Congolese government of supporting the M23 rebellion. The M23 group hasn’t participated in the discussions since April, alleging, among other things, that the DRC had broken a promise to incorporate its fighters into the army. The government, in its turn, highlighted that it will “never again integrate members of armed groups into the army.”
AfricaEAC-Led DR Congo Peace Talks to Continue in January as 53 Groups Agree Ceasefire7 December, 09:20 GMTThe March 23 Movement, also known as M23, is a largely Congolese armed group, which was formed in 2012. Based in eastern areas of the country, it operates mainly in the province of North Kivu. The group started an armed rebellion against the DRC government that ended with a peace treaty in 2013.In 2021, the group launched a new uprising, seizing large parts of the country.Amid increasing tensions on the territory of the DRC and the M23 advancements across North Kivu province, the leaders of the East African Community (EAC) decided in April 2022 to create a multinational regional force to fight militia groups in the eastern part of the country, with Uganda, Burundi, and South Sudan sending their troops.The Luanda summit, which was held on November 23 within the framework of the peace process in the DRC, concluded with the decision to cease hostilities, starting on November 25, by setting up a disarmament of the M23 in the country’s territory under the control of the DRC army and EACRF. But the rebel group announced that it was not concerned by the results of the summit and the call for ceasefire and urged the government to launch a “direct dialogue”, because they were not present at the meeting.
