Eastern DRC: UN Security Council condemns renewed violence

The symbol of the United Nations at the entrance to the organization's headquarters in New York. AP - John Minchillo

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This humanitarian crisis remains one of the most neglected in the world " said Bintou Keita, the head of the United Nations Organization Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (MONUSCO) on March 29, 2023 in New York during a meeting of the UN Security Council where the upsurge in violence by armed groups in eastern DRC was discussed.

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With our correspondent in New York, Carrie Nooten

The United Nations Security Council condemned on March 29, 2023 the upsurge in violence by armed groups in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), while the UN denounces an unprecedented humanitarian crisis, for which the rest of the world is totally disengaged.

Violence between the M23 movement and Congolese FARDC soldiers, as well as clashes with the Coopérative pour le développement du Congo (CODECO) and the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), have particularly inflated the number of displaced people in the country.

Hostile and volatile environment

The representative of the UN Secretary-General in the DRC and head of MONUSCO, Bintou Keita, detailed the latest report on Congo-Kinshasa: for the UN, the security situation has deteriorated even more, and the organization overwhelms the armed groups that are fighting in the east of the country, in particular the M23.

Not only that, 2022 was the deadliest year for MONUSCO peacekeepers in a hostile and volatile environment. But, above all, the explosion in the number of displaced persons is remarkable: 900,000 more in North Kivu, 1.5 million in Ituri. And the $2.25 billion humanitarian plan for the DRC this year is struggling to find funding.

A statement condemning and calling for the dissolution of armed groups

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This humanitarian crisis remains one of the most neglected in the world, says Bintou Keita. I condemn persistent impediments to humanitarian access, including the attack on a helicopter in February 2023 that forced the World Food Programme (WFP) to temporarily suspend flights in conflict zones. ».

Around the Council table, all the ambassadors, who have just returned from a stay in the DRC, were indignant at this worsening of the situation. A statement to this effect was even officially presented to send a strong message to the armed groups, condemning them and calling for their dissolution. Thirteen of the fifteen countries also made a statement in support of the women and girls of the DRC, assuring that the recommendations of the representatives of civil society will be hammered here at the UN headquarters.

► READ ALSO: DRC: M23 rebels did not withdraw on March 30 as planned

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  • DRC
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