Brussels, 19/11/2012 (Agence Europe) - With the M23 rebellion at the gates of Goma (regional capital of North Kivu), to the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), the EU has called on the rebels, supported by Rwanda (and, to a lesser extent, by Uganda) to cease this military offensive, and calls on all parties involved to prevent any escalation of violence. This appeal, launched on the evening of Sunday 18 November by Catherine Ashton, the High Representative for Foreign Affairs of the EU, was repeated on Monday morning, before the start of the Foreign Affairs/Defence Council. The issue was to be debated by the foreign ministers at the end of the session to quell unrest and encourage a "long-term political solution".
The High Representative announced that she had been in contact since the weekend with the EU delegation in DRC. She will discuss the matter with the Heads of State of the region to try to seek "a way of continuing relations in such a way as as to avoid having to withdraw from the agreements that we have", she warned, by way of announcement that the EU will follow the United Nations Security Council which, on 17 November, announced the forthcoming reinforcement of sanctions against the leaders of the M23.
"I call on the M23 to immediately stop the military offensive against the city of Goma. Any support to the M23 in violation of the sanctions regime and the arms embargo must stop. All parties must allow unrestricted humanitarian access to those in need. I and my colleague Kristalina Georgieva (the European Commissioner for International Cooperation, Humanitarian Aid in Crisis Response: Ed) are very worried about the humanitarian consequences of this new spate of violence. I call on all stakeholders, including neighbouring countries, to take all necessary steps to avoid further deterioration of the situation and to prevent the conflict from spreading", said Lady Ashton in a declaration published on 18 November. The EU is extremely concerned for the 70,000 displaced persons who have started leaving the camp of Kanyaruchinya, north of Goma.
The High Representative stressed that MONUSCO (UN mission for stabilisation in DRC) must be encouraged to play an active role in the crisis according to its mandate. "Its role is vital for the protection of civilians and no action intended to undermine MONUSCO's work should be tolerated", Lady Ashton warned. The government of Congo has already announced its refusal to negotiate with the rebellion. (AN/transl.fl)