Fighting between Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) forces and the M23 rebels has continued in the east of the DRC despite a ceasefire scheduled to take effect this Wednesday.
Angola’s President Joao Lourenco called for the ceasefire last week after holding talks with other African leaders.
The clashes were reported in villages in eastern DRC’s South Kivu province. Locals say government forces and the M23 rebels attacked each other’s positions in the Luvungi and Bikenge areas.
Both sides have accused each other of attacking first. The fighting has violated a ceasefire that Lourenco called last week.
It has also undermined hopes of restoring peace in the conflict-torn region. Last October, the DRC government and the M23 rebels signed an agreement in Qatar to monitor a permanent ceasefire.
But fighting erupted just days after the signing. Qatar and the African Union condemned the escalation and urged the warring parties to cease hostilities.
The United States has warned that any party violating the ceasefire will face sanctions.
The M23 rebels say they are fighting to protect their community of the DRC Tutsis from attacks by a rival Hutu militia backed by the DRC government.
The DRC denied the accusation and blamed Rwanda for supporting the rebels to plunder its minerals, a charge Kigali also denied. The fighting has caused a major humanitarian crisis in eastern DRC.
The European Union has allocated more than $96 million in humanitarian aid to support populations affected by the conflict.
The funding will provide life-saving services to vulnerable communities in eastern DRC and refugees in Burundi, Rwanda and Tanzania.
–SABC–
