DR Congo Conflict: We are ready to withdraw but a dialogue with regional forces is a must, says M23

NAIROBI, Kenya - The M23 rebel group fighting the Democratic Republic of Congo army in the eastern part of the country has said they are ready to withdraw from its occupied territories.

This was revealed by the rebel group speaking to person Lawrence Kanyuka.

He also revealed that they would support the Luanda summit recommendations to withdraw, but said they wanted a meeting with the East African Community (EAC) regional force, tasked to restore peace in eastern DRC.

In a communique statement, the M23 spokesperson said that they would maintain the ceasefire.

Kanyuka“The M23 Movement requests a meeting with the East African Regional Force and Ad-Hoc Verification Mechanism to discuss the implementation modalities and renews its request for a meeting with the mediator and facilitator in a way to discuss the matter of its concerns.”
The EAC regional force has been approved by the EAC l member states.

Both Kenya, Uganda, Burundi, and South Sudan contributed troops to the region for peacekeeping missions.

“We reiterate our readiness to the direct dialogue with the DRC Government in order to find a lasting solution to the root causes of the conflict in the Eastern DRC.”

This comes at a time when there were violent clashes in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo on Tuesday between Congolese soldiers and the M23 rebel movement, local sources said, as the rebels said they were ready to disengage.

Congolese troops engaged the rebel group outside Bwiza, some 40 kilometers north of the provincial capital Goma, according to the sources, as the violence sent local people fleeing and brought the neighboring town of Kitchanga to a standstill.

The latest unrest in the conflict-wracked country comes a week after an attack blamed on M23 slightly further to the north in eastern North-Kivu province left around 300 people dead, almost all civilians.

The group denied being behind the massacre, blaming "stray bullets" for the deaths of just eight civilians.

GAROWE ONLINE