At a Security Council meeting to address the situation in the DR Congo, the UN representative and leader of the United Nations Stabilization Mission in the DR Congo (Monusco), Bintou Keita, described the “alarming situation” that the Congolese are experiencing, as well as “considerable challenges” to the implementation of their mandate.
Keita stressed that despite regional and international efforts, the ceasefire has not yet materialized, and the rebel group March 23 Movement (M23), supported by Rwanda, has advanced further in the regions of North and South Kivu and continued to set up parallel administrations in Bukavu, in South Kivu.
The UN representative also said that in North Kivu, the rebels have appointed financial administrators and a mining chief, “reinforcing the link between armed conflict and the illegal exploitation of the country’s natural resources”.
The leader of Monusco took the opportunity to thank João Lourenço for "his tireless mediation efforts aimed at restoring dialogue between the DR Congo and Rwanda" and encouraged the "rapid appointment of an African Union mediator to "coordinate and unify mediation initiatives based on the foundations of the Luanda and Nairobi processes".
João Lourenço announced on Monday that he would abandon mediation in the conflict between the DR Congo and Rwanda, after direct negotiations with the M23 failed due to factors "external" to the African process.
The Presidency said in a statement that Angola had committed itself "with all seriousness, energy and resources" since the African Union entrusted the head of state with the responsibility of mediating the conflict, highlighting the progress achieved after successive rounds of talks.
The M23 decided to cancel its participation in the negotiations, accusing international institutions of sabotaging the dialogue with the DR Congo, after the European Union imposed sanctions on leaders of the movement and on a refinery in Kigali.
Focusing on the situation on the ground, the UN representative stressed that women and children continue to be the main victims in North Kivu and Ituri, with serious violations affecting 403 children, including 90 girls, between 1 December 2024 and 28 February 2025.
These violations include abductions, killings, mutilations, forced recruitment, attacks on schools and sexual violence.
"The UN Human Rights Office has documented hundreds of cases of conflict-related sexual violence in North Kivu, South Kivu and Ituri. Impunity encourages reoccurrence, so it is essential to systematically document cases to ensure that all victims obtain justice and reparations," said Bintou Keita.
The humanitarian situation in the eastern provinces “remains critical, with a dramatic increase in needs”, and the prolonged closure of the airports in Goma and Kavumu “represents a major obstacle to the delivery of aid”, stressed the leader of MONUSCO.
The clashes with the M23 have forced hundreds of thousands of civilians to flee and displaced communities are often forced to return to their places of origin without adequate security conditions, denounced the UN.
“Since January, more than 100,000 people have been forced to flee in Djugu territory alone”, she said.
“This worsening situation occurs in a global context of a funding crisis. The 2025 Humanitarian Response Plan is currently only 8.2 percent funded, forcing humanitarian actors to make extreme choices”, lamented the UN representative.
Armed activity by the M23 - a group made up mainly of Tutsi victims of the 1994 Rwandan genocide - resumed in November 2021 with attacks against the government army in North Kivu, having advanced on several fronts and threatening to escalate into a regional war.
