The Permanent Representative of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) to the UN, Zénon Mukongo, revealed on Thursday, March 27, before the Security Council, that more than half of the Rwandan army is currently deployed on Congolese soil. This statement was made during a briefing on the security situation in the DRC.
« While we are gathered here, Rwanda has deployed more than half of its army on Congolese territory, without the consent of the Congolese state. The right to self-defense can in no way justify an armed invasion or the creation of a parallel administration on the territory of a sovereign state, » stated Zénon Mukongo.
« My delegation calls on the Security Council to recognize the urgency of the rapid implementation of the measures outlined in Resolution 2773. The effective cessation of hostilities and de-escalation will only be possible through increased pressure and enhanced sanctions against Rwanda and its M23 allies, » he added.
This resolution demands the withdrawal of Rwandan troops from Congolese territory and the immediate cessation of hostilities by the M23.
The United Nations announced that 28 million people are suffering from hunger in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, a record number for the country, which has been hit in recent months by an escalation of violence in the east.
« The humanitarian situation in the DRC is deteriorating at an alarming rate. Families that were already struggling to feed themselves are now facing an even more difficult reality, » said Eric Perdison, the Acting Director for the DRC of the UN World Food Programme (WFP).
« We have resumed our operations in the North Kivu and South Kivu provinces and are committed to doing more to support people at risk, but we urgently need more resources, » Perdison added, in a joint statement with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).
Meanwhile, in the Kibirizi region, north of the Bwito chiefdom, in the Rutshuru territory, farmers have been unable to access their fields for two days due to violent clashes between the Wazalendo armed groups and the M23/AFC rebels in Kyasenda and its surroundings. These fights, which took place between Tuesday evening and Wednesday, March 27, occurred just a few kilometers from Kibirizi, on the Rwindi axis, in the Virunga National Park, according to local sources.