Rwanda and M23 Accused of Breaking Truce in Eastern DRC
On Thursday, the Congolese army accused the M23 rebels and Rwanda of breaking a humanitarian truce announced by the US last week.
The two-week ceasefire, which has been in effect since July 5, was intended to allow humanitarian workers access to battle zones in North Kivu province, where millions of people are facing one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises.
According to the United Nations, fighting has resumed in Masisi area near Goma, North Kivu’s capital, after only a week.
The war in the region has worsened this year, displacing hundreds of thousands in an attempt to flee militants.
Kinshasa has accused Rwanda of supporting the M23 rebel group, and on Thursday, it condemned “the Kigali regime’s failure to respect the truce […] thus denying them access to humanitarian aid.”
The years-long struggle is extremely complex, and while M23 is the most active, there are over 120 armed organizations fighting for the region’s resources.
More than 7 million people have been displaced in the east of the DRC. According to the non-profit ACLED, at least 416 violent incidents have killed 1,467 people this year, with North Kivu accounting for half of the total.
