M23 Rebels Faking Withdrawal of Troops, Says DR Congo President Tshisekedi
Harare — President of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and newly appointed Chairperson of the African Union (AU) Felix Tshisekedi has alleged that the M23 militia had falsified an agreed-upon withdrawal of its troops from the territories it had taken control of in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) accusing the militia of faking the withdrawal of its forces, reports VOA.
“They pretend to move, they act like they are moving, but they’re not. They’re simply moving around, redeploying elsewhere, and they stay in the towns that they have captured,” Tshisekedi said during a panel session at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.
The M23 has however denied the allegation, accusing the government of breaching the cease-fire agreed to.
“President Tshisekedi has only this to say. It is the government that does not respect the ceasefire, it also continues to arm armed groups,” said Lawrence Kanyaka, a spokesman for the M23.
According to the report, Tshisekedi again, accused Rwanda of fueling the conflict by supporting the rebels, an accusation shared by Western powers and United Nations experts. But Rwanda categorically denies this.
On December 5, 2022 U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said he had a “productive conversation” with Rwandan President Paul Kagame during which he asked Rwanda to stop supporting the rebel group, calling for its retreat.
As part of efforts to put an end to a conflict that has displaced at least 450,000 people and generated a diplomatic crisis between the Congo and neighboring Rwanda, regional authorities forged an agreement in November 2022 under which the Tutsi-led militia was expected to withdraw from recently captured areas by January 15, 2023.
