Goma, capital of North Kivu province and main city in eastern DR Congo, has been occupied by the anti-government armed group M23 and Rwandan troops, who seized the airport on Tuesday.
On the same day, in Kinshasa, protesters attacked several embassies, including that of Rwanda, accused by Congolese authorities of having "declared war" on them in the east of the country. The diplomatic missions of Kenya, France, Belgium and the United States, countries criticized for their inaction in this crisis, were also targeted.
The President of the Republic, João Lourenço, who has acted as a mediator in the political-diplomatic crisis between the Democratic Republic of Congo and the Republic of Rwanda, expressed this Wednesday "great concern" regarding the "serious developments" registered in the East of the DRCongo that culminated in the occupation of Goma, a "serious violation of the Luanda Process", a diplomatic initiative led by Angola to end the conflict.
In a statement released this Wednesday on the Presidency's website, João Lourenço regretted the occupation of Goma, calling for the "immediate withdrawal of the M23 from the illegally occupied territories", as well as the Rwandan Defence Forces (FDLR), "so that a new urgently need the conditions for stabilizing the lives of the populations", including the operation of the airport in safe conditions so that the elements that support the peace process can return, as well as the entry of humanitarian aid for the displaced and refugees.
João Lourenço urged the DR Congo and Rwanda "to respect the commitments made under the Luanda Process", allowing the necessary conditions to be created for the convening of a Tripartite Summit in Luanda, which he considered "urgent" and reiterated that discussions on the M23 and other armed groups operating in the territory of the DR Congo, "must be urgently resumed within the framework of the Nairobi Process" (which involves negotiations between representatives of the Congolese Government and the armed groups).
The head of the executive recalls that the Luanda Process was restarted after meetings with the Rwandan Heads of State, Paul Kagame, and Congolese, Félix Tshisekedi, both of whom agreed to a ceasefire and the neutralization of the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR), that is, the withdrawal of Rwandan forces from the territory.
"After an arduous negotiation process at the level of the respective Ministers of Foreign Affairs, supported by the Heads of the Intelligence Services of the three countries, it was possible to declare a ceasefire, which came into effect on 4 August 2024" , he wrote.
The issue concerning the M23, an integral part of the peace agreement submitted to the parties in August last year and which Rwanda presents as an "internal issue of the DR Congo", would be dealt with within the framework of the Nairobi Process, a platform for the promotion of inter-Congolese dialogue, also says João Lourenço, adding that the former President of the Republic of Kenya Uhuru Kenyatta, appointed facilitator of the East African Community (EAC), "committed to accelerating consultations with the M23 with immediate effect".
The fighting has displaced more than 500,000 people since the beginning of January, according to the Congolese government.
More than 100 dead and around 1000 wounded have been taken to hospitals in Goma in the past three days of fighting, according to a tally by the Agence France-Presse (AFP) on Tuesday based on hospital reports.
The Kenyan capital was due to host a summit on Wednesday to discuss the situation in the country, but DR Congo President Felix Tshisekedi has announced he will not attend the meeting, which was also due to be attended by his Rwandan counterpart Paul Kagame.
