Rwandan-backed rebels have pushed south and consolidated gains in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, as international calls for restraint appeared to have little impact on the ground.
Local sources told Agence France-Presse that fighters from the M23 group had seized two districts in South Kivu province as they advanced towards the provincial capital Bukavu. “There was no fighting” in the latest advance, a local civil society leader said.
In a late night address on Wednesday, the Congolese president, Félix Tshisekedi, called on young people to enlist in the army “massively” and vowed “a vigorous and coordinated response” to the rebel advance.
On Monday, rebel fighters and Rwandan soldiers swept into Goma, the capital of North Kivu province and a regional hub for displaced people, in the biggest escalation since 2012 of a decades-old conflict.
Congo’s army has its main line of defence in the city of Kavumu. If the rebels advance beyond Kavumu, Bukavu could be threatened. Some of the Congolese troops driven out by M23 in Goma fled to Bukavu.
In his first public address since the fall of Goma, Tshisekedi said a “vigorous and coordinated response against these terrorists and their sponsors” was under way. “Enlist massively in the army because you are the spearhead of our country,” he said.
The president criticised what he described as the “silence and inaction” of the international community, calling it an affront in the face of an “unprecedented worsening of the security situation” that could lead straight to an escalation in the broader Great Lakes region.
The M23 rebels in eastern DRC are backed by 4,000 troops from neighbouring Rwanda, according to U.N. experts, far more than in 2012, when the group briefly captured Goma.
Rwanda is facing mounting international pressure over its role in the fighting. The US said it was “deeply troubled” by escalation of the conflict, Germany cancelling a planned meeting with Rwandan officials next month, and the UK told Kigali that it was putting $1bn (£800m) in global aid “under threat”.
Nevertheless, Rwanda’s ambassador-at-large for the Great Lakes region, Vincent Karega, told AFP the M23 advance would continue. It was possible the fighters could push beyond the country’s east – even to Kinshasa, he added.
Tshisekedi snubbed an emergency virtual summit by the East African Community bloc to discuss the conflict in his country. At the meeting, attended by Paul Kagame, the Rwandan president, leaders called for an immediate ceasefire and a peaceful resolution through talks between the DRC and armed groups. They also recommended a joint summit with the Southern African Development Community bloc to discuss the crisis.
DRC is rich in gold and other minerals such as cobalt, coltan, tantalum and tin used in batteries and electronics worldwide. Kinshasa has accused Rwanda of waging the offensive to profit from the region’s mineral wealth – a claim backed by UN experts who say Kigali has thousands of troops in its neighbour and “de facto control” over the M23.
Rwanda has denied the accusations and does not admit to military involvement in its neighbour. Kagame has said Rwanda’s support for the M23 is aimed at destroying the DRC-based armed group the FDLR, which was created by former Hutu leaders who massacred Tutsis during the Rwandan genocide.
Agence France-Presse and Associated Press contributed to this report
Article by:Source: Carlos Mureithi in Nairobi, and agencies
