KINSHASA, DR Congo
President Felix Tshisekedi on Tuesday said the M23 rebel group had not fully withdrawn from areas it seized in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), accusing the militia of faking an agreed pullback of its forces.
M23 rebel leader Sultani Makenga |
Regional leaders brokered an
agreement in November under which the Tutsi-led group was meant to withdraw
from recently seized positions by Jan. 15 as part of efforts to end a conflict
that has displaced at least 450,000 people and sparked a diplomatic crisis
between the DRC and neighboring Rwanda.
"Despite the
international pressure, the group is still there," Tshisekedi said during
a panel session at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.
"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," he said.
His comments were the most
outspoken from DRC authorities so far on how they view the implementation of
the peace deal.
"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.
Earlier in January, an
internal United Nations intelligence report said it was not possible to confirm
the M23's purported withdrawal from some areas due to continued signs of troop
movement, and its analysis indicated the group had seized new territory
elsewhere.
Tshisekedi again accused
Rwanda of fueling the conflict by supporting the rebels — an accusation leveled
also by Western powers and U.N. experts. Rwanda firmly denies this.
Several civil society
organizations have called for a demonstration on Wednesday in the provincial
capital, Goma, to protest delays implementing the M23 withdrawal, although the
city authorities have not authorized the march.
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