US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who separately spoke with Rwandan President Paul Kagame and the DRC Head of State Félix Tshisekedi by phone regarding the « unstable situation » at the border between the two countries, is urging both leaders to de-escalate and ease tensions following an upsurge in clashes with rebels opposed to Kinshasa.
Mr. Blinken « advocated for a diplomatic solution to the tensions between the two countries and urged each party to take steps to defuse the situation, including the withdrawal of troops from the border, » said State Department spokesman Matthew Miller in a statement.
Fighting has intensified since early October in the northern region of Goma, the provincial capital of North Kivu, between the M23 rebellion and the DRC’s army (FARDC), which is allied with pro-government armed groups. The resurgence of the M23 (the « March 23 Movement »), a predominantly Tutsi rebellion allegedly supported by neighboring Rwanda according to numerous sources, has led to the displacement of hundreds of thousands of people in North Kivu and has fueled a longstanding humanitarian crisis in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) for nearly 30 years.
After a previous outbreak of violence last year, Mr. Blinken visited both countries and publicly supported Kinshasa’s claims that Rwanda was supporting the rebels.
Additionally, the new UN operation, « Springbok, » deployed in eastern DRC and criticized for its inefficacy by many Congolese, is determined to protect the major city of Goma from a potential rebel assault. Alongside the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of Congo (FARDC), the United Nations Mission in the country (Monusco) organized a press trip from Goma to Sake, about 30 km from the provincial capital of North Kivu on Monday.
« This is a defensive position to counter any advance by the M23. If they come and cross the line, we have the necessary equipment to stop them, » said Major Éric Deshaies-Martin, the Information Chief for Monusco’s Force Operations.
Last Friday, the UN force commander, General Otavio Rodrigues de Miranda Filho, announced in Goma the launch of the joint operation « Springbok » with the FARDC on the same day, aimed at « protecting the population » and preventing M23 rebels from taking Goma. « Our main objective is to prevent any attempt by the M23 to invade Sake or Goma, » he said, while emphasizing that this operation is « defensive. »
The operation comprises Indian, Moroccan, Uruguayan, and Guatemalan peacekeepers, according to the officers on the trip to Sake, although the exact number was not disclosed.