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DR Congo denounces UN 'inaction' over M23 capture of Bukavu

Africa

By AFP | Feb 18, 2025

Social workers cook food for Congolese refugees displaced by ongoing clashes in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo following their arrival at the Gihanga refugee transit camp in Gihanga on February 17, 2025. [AFP]

The Democratic Republic of Congo on Monday criticized the "inaction" of the UN Security Council in the wake of the M23 armed group seizing the city of Bukavu, according to a letter seen by AFP.

Congolese United Nations ambassador Zenon Mukongo Ngay submitted the letter to the Security Council denouncing its inability to rally in support of the DRC following the attack on the capital of South Kivu province in the country's east.

"My government is outraged to see that the Security Council, paralyzed by who knows what illness, has been unable to reach a decision, despite the gravity of the situation," Mukongo Ngay wrote.

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This "paralysis" gave "free rein to the continuing illegal occupation of Congolese territories by Rwandan Defense Forces and their supporters from the M23 terrorist movement," he continued.

After seizing Goma, the capital of North Kivu, M23 fighters and Rwandan soldiers advanced to the neighboring province of South Kivu, entering the outskirts of its capital Bukavu on Friday before seizing it Sunday.

Mukongo Ngay's letter called for an emergency meeting of the Security Council in response to the development, urging the body to act "decisively and immediately."

"Unsurprisingly, the Security Council's inaction and wait-and-see attitude have only made the situation worse, culminating in the capture" of Bukavu, the letter continued.

A draft resolution spearheaded by France has been in the works since late January, with the latest version of the text reviewed by AFP demanding a halt of M23's advancement and the withdrawal of Rwandan troops "without preconditions."

It also urges the DRC and Rwanda to resume diplomatic talks and floats the idea of sanctioning M23 leadership and "those providing external support to the M23."