In eastern DR Congo, the M23 rebels have threatened to retaliate against any attempts by the government to seize their locations.
Lawrence Kanyuka, the political spokesman for M23, claims that a letter from the governor of North Kivu province dated July 5 informed various government agencies, including intelligence services, about the resumed of their operations in areas held by the rebels.
“The M23 considers any presence of the [DR Congo] Government’s agents in our territory as an act of provocation, and such a move will be severely repressed per the clear instructions given to its security services,” Kanyuka stated in a statement dated July 8.
The rebel group, he said, “remains committed to the peace process and direct negotiations” with the government, and he added that communication is “the only way to resolve the ongoing conflict.”
The rebel group’s requests for negotiations were minimized by the Congolese government since it viewed them as terrorist activity.
The M23 will continue to ensure the protection of the populace in the regions it controls and would defend itself against any belligerent action of the DRC Government, according to Kanyuka.
General Sultani Makenga, the commander of the rebels, had earlier claimed that the rebels had complied with Kinshasa’s demands despite recommendations from regional leaders to cease the fighting.
Makenga said, “We are nonviolent, and we want peace.
“We’ll comply with their wishes. If they want peace, we’ll work together to make it happen; if they want war, we’ll go to war.
In November 2021, about ten years after the M23 rebels were defeated in 2013, the revolt flared up again. According to the rebel organization, Kinshasa refused to put into effect agreements that would guarantee the reintegration and demobilization of its fighters.
In November 2022, the rebels seized control of significant areas in North Kivu. In Luanda, the Angolan capital, regional officials came to a deal to end the fighting.
In accordance with the Luanda Summit, the M23 has abandoned a number of sites since December 2022 and turned them over to a regional army from the East African Community.
The administration is allegedly dismissive of any attempts to end the conflict by disregarding pleas for peace negotiations and adopting a confrontational stance, according to the rebels.
The Rwandan government denies the charges made by the Congolese government that it supported the rebels. The FDLR, a UN-approved terrorist organization that has carried out cross-border assaults on Rwandan territory, is accused of working together with the Congolese army, according to Rwanda.
