G7 foreign ministers vehemently condemned on Saturday (1) a, supported by Rwanda, in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo and insisted that the M23 and the Rwanda Defense Forces stop their defensive.
In a statement issued by Canada, a country that owns the group’s presidency, foreign ministers said they were particularly concerned about capturing the cities of Minova, Sake and Gum and asked for insistence for parties to protect civilians.
“This offensive is a blatant disrespect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the,” said the ministers, citing a large increase in displaced civilians and the aggravation of humanitarian conditions.
What is the M23 of RD Congo?
The M23 refers to the March 23, 2009 agreement, which ended a revolt led by Tutsis in eastern RD Congo.
This is one of the groups of rebels led by Tutsis ethnic against the RD Government, having launched the latest revolt in 2022.
The group accused the government of RD Congo not to comply with the peace agreement and not fully integrate the Congolese Tutsis with the Army and the Administration of the country.
He also promises to defend the interests of Tutsis, particularly against Hutus ethnic militias, such as the democratic forces for the liberation of Rwanda (FDLR), founded by Hutus who fled Rwanda after participating in the 1994 genocide, which killed almost 1 million tutsis and Moderate Hutus.
The self -proclaimed M23 liberation agenda was marked by a long trail of alleged human rights violations and what the Human Rights Watch Human Rights Group described in 2023 as “Civil War Crimes” in Northern Kivu. The group consistently denied such allegations.
