Congolese Rebel Group M23 Movement Declares Ceasefire for Dialogue with Government

• The M23 Movement declares a ceasefire to allow for dialogue with the government of the Democratic Republic of Congo.
• The group occupied key towns in the country’s eastern North Kivu province since late 2021.
• The UN Secretary-General urges the rebels to abide by the new initiative and condemns all violence against civilians.
• The fighting has displaced over 600,000 people since last year, and Congolese displaced by fighting demand help from the provincial government.
• The fighting has heightened tensions between Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo’s government.

 The Congolese rebel group, M23 Movement, declared a cease-fire on Tuesday, March 7, 2023, to allow for dialogue with the government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The announcement comes after several days of fighting between government forces and the rebels in the eastern region of the country.

The group said the cease-fire is in line with consultations between the M23 leadership and Angolan President Joao Lourenco, as well as decisions made at various regional meetings.

The rebels’ spokesperson, Lawrence Kanyuka, said in a statement, “The M23 Movement hereby declares a cease-fire effective from this Tuesday, March 7, 2023, at 12.00 noon to pave the way for the political process.” The group also thanked all the regional leaders who have made efforts to restore peace and security in eastern DRC.

The rebel group has occupied key towns in the country’s eastern North Kivu province since its reemergence in late 2021. At a mini-summit in Addis Ababa, regional leaders gave the Congolese rebel group a March 30 deadline to withdraw from all occupied areas in the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s eastern region.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres urged the rebels to abide by the new initiative and condemned all violence against civilians. The fighting has displaced over 600,000 people since last year. Congolese displaced by fighting in eastern Congo took to the streets of the provincial capital Goma, demanding help from the provincial government.

The fighting has heightened tensions between Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s government. Kinshasa accuses Kigali of backing the rebel group, a charge Rwanda denies. The African Union announced a new timetable for the cessation of hostilities in March 2022.

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