UN chief warns of conflict crisis in DR Congo as rebels seize key city

ADDIS ABABA — United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has warned of escalation of conflict in South Kivu Province of the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, as the M23 armed group advanced into the provincial capital.

Speaking about the current peace and security situations in Africa during the African Union summit on Saturday in Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia, Guterres said the people of DR Congo are suffering from a brutal cycle of violence.

"The fighting that is raging in South Kivu — as a result of the continuation of the M23 offensive — threatens to push the entire region over the precipice," said the secretary-general, emphasizing the need for avoiding regional escalation at all costs.

The ongoing conflict between the M23 and the DR Congo government is deeply rooted in the aftermath of the 1994 Rwandan genocide and long-standing ethnic tensions between the Tutsi and Hutu communities. The DR Congo accuses Rwanda of supporting the M23, while Rwanda alleges that the DR Congo army has allied with the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda, a rebel group accused of participating in the genocide against the Tutsi.

"There is no military solution. The deadlock must end, and the dialogue must begin," Guterres said, adding the sovereignty and territorial integrity of DR Congo must be respected.

The conclusions of the recent joint summit co-hosted by the East African Community and the Southern African Development Community offered a way forward, with a renewed call for an immediate cease-fire, and new momentum for regional efforts based on the Luanda and Nairobi processes.

In a statement released on Saturday, the M23 called on residents of Bukavu, the capital of South Kivu Province, to form "vigilance committees to ensure security and to appoint honest and responsible people to lead them". The group's spokesperson confirmed earlier that the M23 had entered the city.

On Friday, the M23 announced it had seized Kavumu Airport, a vital humanitarian and military supply hub in South Kivu. The airport serves as a key defensive line for Bukavu, located about 30 kilometers away.

Local sources told Xinhua News Agency that despite the group's earlier claim that it had no intention of capturing the city, its fighters continued advancing toward Bukavu. Meanwhile, some DR Congo soldiers and their allies were seen retreating toward Uvira, a strategic commercial and transport hub near the Burundian border.

Xinhua