UN fears ‘regional war’ as DRC-Rwanda conflict escalates, claims a dozen SADC peacekeepers
THE United Nations Security Council convened an emergency meeting on Sunday over deadly clashes in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo after Kinshasa withdrew its diplomats from Kigali as Rwanda-backed rebels advanced on the key city of Goma.
On Saturday, three countries – South Africa, Malawi and Uruguay – announced the deaths of some of their soldiers serving as peacekeepers in the conflict zone, 13 in all.
South Africa’s defence ministry said Saturday that it “lost nine members by Friday.”.
A Malawian army spokesman said three of its soldiers with the SADC force also died during clashes.
Uruguay’s military announced that one of its members serving with the UN peacekeepers had been killed and four others wounded.
SADC has condemned the attacks by the Rwanda-backed M23 rebels and vowed to continue its mission in the DRC.
“SADC reaffirms its unwavering commitment to continue supporting the DRC in its pursuit of safeguarding its independence, sovereignty, and territorial integrity, as well as sustainable peace, security, and development.
“To this end, the SAMIDRC will remain resolute in supporting efforts aimed at addressing the unstable and deteriorating security and humanitarian situation prevailing in the Eastern DRC,” SADC said in a statement on Saturday.
The United Nations Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (MONUSCO) said its Quick Reaction Forces had “been actively engaged in intense combat” with its heavy artillery firing against M23 positions.
The resource-rich eastern provinces of North and South Kivu have been plagued by conflicts for three decades, with the Rwanda-backed M23 emerging as one of the most powerful armed groups in recent years.
After peace talks between Rwandan President Paul Kagame and DRC’s Etienne Tshisekedi were cancelled in mid-December, the rebels have steadily advanced toward Goma, the capital of North Kivu and a key city home to more than a million people.
The escalation in fighting prompted an emergency UN Security Council meeting, originally set for Monday, to be moved up to Sunday. Congolese army spokesman General Sylvain Ekenge told journalists his country’s armed forces were working to “push back the enemy.”.
“Rwanda is determined to seize the city of Goma,” he said. The DRC announced it was pulling its diplomats from Kigali in a letter to Rwanda’s embassy in Kinshasa.
On Thursday, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres expressed fears that the fighting could aggravate “the risk of a regional war.”.
Since the beginning of January, about 400,000 people have been forced to flee the fighting. The UN has begun evacuating “non-essential” staff from Goma to neighbouring Uganda and to the Congolese capital Kinshasa.
The African Union urged all parties “to preserve the lives of civilians.”. Angolan President Joao Lourenco, the African Union’s mediator between Rwanda and the DRC, denounced “irresponsible actions by the M23 and its supporters,” which would have “harmful consequences for regional security.”.
