International Criminal Court (ICC) prosecutor Karim Khan arrived in the on Tuesday to investigate ongoing violence in the country’s east, while at the same time a group of ex-African leaders were appointed in an attempt to push for peace.
The trio includes ex-Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta, ex-Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn and ex-Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo.
There have been appointed as “facilitators” of a new peace process by the East African Community (EAC) and the Southern African Development Community (SADC).
The EAC and the SADC said in a statement their goal is an “immediate and unconditional ceasefire.”
Numerous calls for a ceasefire have so far gone unheeded as in the country’s east near the border with Rwanda, meeting little resistance from the Congolese army.
Situation in eastern DR Congo ‘acute’
The Rwanda-backed M23 has in recent weeks seized two major cities in the region, giving the armed group a major foothold since taking up arms again in late 2021.
According to UN experts, the M23 is supported by around 4,000 Rwandan soldiers.
According to DR Congo Prime Minister Judith Suminwa Tuluka, more than 7,000 people have been killed in the region since January. The numbers could not be independently verified.
“We are extremely worried about recent developments in Congo, we know the situation particularly in the east is acute,” Khan told reporters upon his arrival in the capital Kinshasa.
Khan added that all sides of arms conflicts “must comply with international humanitarian law.”
Khan is set to meet DRC President Felix Tshisekedi, government ministers, the UN Secretary General’s country representative Bintou Keita, as well as victims of the conflict and civil society members.
UK to stop Rwanda aid
As a result of the M23 offensive, the UK government said that it was suspending most direct bilateral aid to Rwanda.
“Rwanda may have security concerns but it is unacceptable to resolve these militarily,” a government spokesperson said, adding that the aid would be suspended “until significant progress” was made in reducing the fighting.
“The UK calls for an immediate cessation of hostilities, humanitarian access, respect for international humanitarian law, meaningful engagement with African-led peace processes and the withdrawal of all Rwanda Defense Forces from Congolese territory,” the spokesman added.
Threat of regional war
Richard Moncrieff, a project director with the International Crisis Group, told DW that the current fighting in DR Congo’s east already has the characteristics of a regional war.
“We already see some of the makings of a regional war,” he says, also based on Burundian soldiers taking part in the fighting.
Talking about the reasons for the conflict between M23 rebels — backed by Rwanda — and Congolese forces, Moncrief says they involve a range of issues, from the fact the eastern part of DR Congo is rich with minerals, as well as other geopolitical reasons.
“I would consider a factor that motivates neighboring countries to intervene in DRC either directly or through proxy armed groups,” he said.
Edited by: Wesley Rahn
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