The US singled out parties over November 23, 2022, accord signed at the Luanda Mini-Summit on Peace and Security in Nairobi.
In the statement on Wednesday, January 4, the White House called on leaders in the Great Lakes and actors in the Eastern DRC to speed up the implementation of the commitments to end the ongoing conflict.
Kenya has been leading in brokering a peace process with former President Uhuru Kenyatta tasked to oversee the implementation of the Nairobi talks.
Speaking on Wednesday, January 4, the US Department of State Spokesperson Ned Price stated that President Joe Biden’s administration was concerned about the sharp increase in violence in Eastern Congo.
He equally outlined the midterm report by the United Nations Group of Experts released on December 30, 2022, that outlined the deterioration in the security and humanitarian situation in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).
Equally, Price called on the M23 rebels to cease all hostilities.
“We call for all armed groups, including M23, to cease all hostilities, lay down their weapons, and join the East African Community-led Nairobi Process consultations between the DRC government and armed groups,” part of the statement read.
Price also urged Rwanda to end all support for M23 and withdraw its forces from Eastern DRC, citing the report’s clear evidence of Rwandan support for M23 and what he described as “credible reports of grave human rights abuses by M23.”
"We reiterate our call for Rwanda to cease all support to M23 and withdraw its troops from eastern DRC," the report continued.
The last Nairobi meeting in December 2022 brought together armed groups from Eastern DRC, representatives of the local communities, civil society groups, and government officials.
During the closure of the peace process,Uhuru revealed that the next DRC peace talks would be held in the war-torn Goma region.
"We do not want you to come back to Nairobi. There is no reason why we should not meet at home. We shall meet at the grassroots to check if we can succeed in our peace effort.," he stated.
