After the M23 Rwanda-backed rebels occupied Bukavu, in eastern Congo on Sunday, Catholic bishops and experts warned this offensive signalled a clear intent to establish a permanent foreign presence in the region. Source: OSV News.
Johan Viljoen, director of the Denis Hurley Peace Institute of the Southern Africa bishops’ conference, said such actions are a blatant violation of the sovereignty of Congo.
The vast central African nation of about 100 million people remains one of the poorest countries in the world, despite its massive reserves of minerals, timber and fresh water. About two-thirds of the population lives on less than $US2.15 ($3.38) a day, according to the World Bank.
“It clearly signals intent by M23 to establish a permanent presence in North Kivu. By extension, given that they [M23] are to an extent a proxy of Rwanda, it also signals Rwanda’s intention to stay there,” Mr Viljoen said.
“This is a direct assault on DRC’s territorial integrity and sovereignty,” he added.
The latest report published by the institute said that the M23 rebels installed provincial officials in North Kivu province and continued their advance into South Kivu — with the aim of capturing South Kivu’s capital, Bukavu, on Sunday
He said the international community did not provide an adequate response as the rebels advanced despite the unilateral ceasefire that came into force on February 4 after a deadly battle for the city of Goma, the capital of North Kivu, which the rebels captured at the end of January.
“The response by the international community has been pathetic,” Mr Viljoen noted after the February 8 meeting of the heads of state of the Southern African Development Community and the East African Community, gathered in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, to discuss the conflict in Congo.
“A perfect example,” Mr Viljoen said of the international community’s reaction, is “the meeting of SADC and EAC leaders” where they “did not even mention Rwandan support for M23”.
Among other issues, the summit called for an immediate ceasefire, the restoration of essential supply lines for food and other essential commodities to ensure humanitarian support and the peaceful resolution of the conflict.
The Kivu regions’ violence is fuelled by rich deposits of cobalt, coltan and gold.
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As rebels in Congo take Bukavu, Church leaders decry violence, disrespect for international law (By Ngala Killian Chimtom, OSV News)
