African leaders condemn M23 offensive in DR Congo

Leaders of Central Africa demanded the Rwanda-backed M23 armed group stop its offensive in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, and called on Friday for the opening of an aid pipeline.

“We strongly condemn the M23 armed group supported by Rwanda and call upon them to immediately end their offensive,” representatives from the 11-nation Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS) said in a statement after an emergency meeting of the group’s peace and security council.

“We call for the immediate withdrawal of the Rwandan armed forces from Congolese territory,” the heads of state and government officials added after the meeting in Equatorial Guinea.

They called for the creation of a humanitarian corridor to get aid into the region, which was devastated by decades of conflict even before the M23’s current offensive.

Last week, M23 fighters and Rwandan troops seized Goma, the provincial capital of North Kivu — a mineral-rich region that has been blighted by war for over three decades — and are now pushing into South Kivu.

The UN human rights chief said nearly 3,000 people had been confirmed killed and 2,880 injured since M23 entered Goma on January 26, and that final tolls would likely be much higher.

Eastern DRC has deposits of gold and other valuable minerals including coltan, a metallic ore that is vital in making phones and laptops.

Since the M23 resurfaced in late 2021, the DRC army, which has a reputation for poor training and corruption, has been forced into multiple retreats.

The offensive has raised fears of regional war, given that several countries are engaged in supporting DRC militarily, including South Africa, Burundi and Malawi.

Rwandan President Paul Kagame, who denies supporting the M23, and his Congolese counterpart Felix Tshisekedi are expected Saturday at a regional crisis summit in Tanzania to address the conflict.

Saturday’s summit will bring together the eight-country East African Community and 16-member Southern African Development Community.