By Anjali Sharma
UNITED NATIONS – UN head Antonio Guterres on Thursday said in a press encounter in New York that now is the time to end the crisis in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Mr. Guterres made the “special appeal for peace” ahead of two major meetings to address the Rwandan-backed M23 rebel group’s brutal offensive across the region., addressing reporters at press stakeout.
He said “We are at a pivotal moment and it is time to rally together for peace,” he said, speaking from the Security Council stakeout position.
“We need the active and constructive role of all players neighbouring countries, sub regional organizations, the African Union and the United Nations.”
The eastern DRC is rich in minerals and other natural resources and has been plagued by conflict for decades. Over 100 armed groups reportedly operate in the area.
The fighting between the M23 and Congolese government forces escalated in January, with the rebels captured Goma, before heading south towards the key city of Bukavu, capital of South Kivu province.
UN agencies reported thousands of people have been killed, including women and children, and hundreds of thousands have been forced from their homes.
Mr. Guterres said “We also see the continued threat by other armed groups, either Congolese or foreign,”. “All of this is having an enormous human toll.”
He highlighted the countless reports of human rights abuses, including sexual and gender-based violence, forced recruitment, and the disruption of lifesaving aid.
Guterres stated the humanitarian situation in and around Goma is perilous.
Thousands are on the move, with many of the previous sites hosting displaced people north of the city now looted, destroyed or abandoned.
The healthcare facilities are overwhelmed, and other basic services – including schools, water, electricity, phone lines and the internet – are severely limited.
He warned the conflict continues to rage in South Kivu and risks engulfing the entire region”.
Mr. Guterres paid tribute to all those who have lost their lives, including peacekeepers with the UN Mission in the DRC and regional forces.
He expressed solidarity with the Congolese people “who find themselves yet again the victims of a seemingly endless cycle of violence.”
The leaders from the East African Community and the Southern African bloc SADC will take part in a Summit in Tanzania to address the DRC crisis.
Mr. Guterres said the situation will also be “front and centre” at a Summit-level meeting of the African Union Peace and Security Council in Addis Ababa next week, which he will attend.
“As the Summit in Tanzania gets underway, and as I prepare to leave for Addis Ababa, my message is clear,” he told journalists.
He added “Silence the guns. Stop the escalation. Respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Uphold international human rights law and international humanitarian law.”
Guterres affirmed that there is no military solution to the crisis.
He said it is time for all signatories to the Peace, Security and Cooperation Framework for the DRC and the region to honor their commitments.
The 2013 document signed by 11 countries to end the recurring cycles of conflict and violence in eastern DRC, he reiterated.
“It is time for mediation. It is time to end this crisis. It is time for peace. The stakes are too high,” he concluded.
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