UN chief urges warring DRC parties to 'silence the guns'
FILE PHOTO: Members of the M23 rebel group ride on a pickup truck as they leave their position for patrols amid conflict between them and the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (FARDC), in Goma, eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, January 29, 2025. REUTERS/Stringer/File Photo
UNITED NATIONS: UN chief Antonio Guterres called Thursday for African leaders to meet on the spiralling violence in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo to strive for peace while reiterating the conflict risked "engulfing the entire region."
"My message is clear," Guterres told reporters ahead of an African Union summit next week on the issue.
"Silence the guns. Stop the escalation. Respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Democratic Republic of the Congo."
"There is no military solution," he said.
The M23 armed group and Rwandan troops last week captured Goma, the capital of the mineral-rich Congolese province of North Kivu.
"My message is clear," Guterres told reporters ahead of an African Union summit next week on the issue.
"Silence the guns. Stop the escalation. Respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Democratic Republic of the Congo."
"There is no military solution," he said.
The M23 armed group and Rwandan troops last week captured Goma, the capital of the mineral-rich Congolese province of North Kivu.
They have since launched a new offensive in the neighbouring province of South Kivu.
The assault on Goma has prompted a "perilous" humanitarian situation, Guterres said, with healthcare facilities overwhelmed and basic services "severely limited."
"Hundreds of thousands of people are on the move, with many of the previous sites hosting displaced people north of the city now looted, destroyed or abandoned," he said.
The conflict meanwhile "continues to rage in South Kivu and risks engulfing the entire region."
"It is time for mediation. It is time to end this crisis. It is time for peace," he said.
The assault on Goma has prompted a "perilous" humanitarian situation, Guterres said, with healthcare facilities overwhelmed and basic services "severely limited."
"Hundreds of thousands of people are on the move, with many of the previous sites hosting displaced people north of the city now looted, destroyed or abandoned," he said.
The conflict meanwhile "continues to rage in South Kivu and risks engulfing the entire region."
"It is time for mediation. It is time to end this crisis. It is time for peace," he said.
Source: AFP/fs
