Kigali, Rwanda — The United Nations (UN) has sounded the alarm over the escalating conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), noting that hostilities have expanded from traditional epicenters in North and South Kivu to Tshopo Province.
Vivian van de Perre, the deputy head of the UN peacekeeping mission in the DRC (MONUSCO), addressed the Security Council, highlighting the increasing use of offensive drones and the deliberate jamming of GPS signals in urban areas. She cited specific incidents at Bangoka Airport in Kisangani and in Goma, expressing serious concerns about the risks to civilians and civilian infrastructure.
Ambassador Zénon Ngay Mukongo of the DRC accused Rwanda’s Defense Forces of supporting the M23 offensives, which he termed a “grave violation “of his country’s sovereignty. He reported hundreds of civilian deaths and millions displaced, with food insecurity expected to affect 26.6 million people, or roughly a quarter of the population, this year.
The situation is further complicated by access restrictions that hinder the UN’s ability to monitor abuses, as well as the intimidation and arbitrary detention of journalists and human rights defenders in M23-controlled areas.
Source: Africanews
