Rwanda-backed rebels who have been advancing in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo have declared a unilateral cease-fire, citing humanitarian grounds.
The Congo River Alliance, a coalition which includes the M23 rebels, also said it did not intend to follow up last week’s capture of the city of Goma by taking Bukavu, the capital of South Kivu province.
M23 rebel spokesman Lawrence Kanyuka said in a statement: “It must be made clear that we have no intention of capturing Bukavu or other areas. However, we reiterate our commitment to protecting and defending the civilian population and our positions.”
It marks a change of position for M23, who said recently they intended to march on the capital, Kinshasa.
The World Health Organization (WHO) said the death toll in the fighting for Goma, the capital of North Kivu province, had risen from 773 to 900.
The WHO said almost 2,900 people had been injured in the fighting between the rebels and government forces.
The rebels said the cease-fire would start on Tuesday and they called for a safe corridor for food aid for hundreds of thousands of displaced people in Goma, a city of two million.
North Kivu is a region home to trillions of dollars of mineral wealth, including coltan, which is key to the production of cellphones.
Kenya’s President William Ruto had said the president of the Democratic Republic of Congo, Felix Tshisekedi, and the Rwandan president, Paul Kagame, would both attend a summit this week.
Foreign ministers from the Group of Seven, or G7, countries have urged Rwanda, the M23, and the DR Congo government to return to negotiations.
‘Flagrant Disregard’ For Sovereignty
The statement, published on the British government’s website, also said: “We also call for an end to all direct and indirect support to the M23 and all non-state armed groups in the DRC. This offensive constitutes a flagrant disregard for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the DRC. We also condemn M23’s intention to continue expansion into South Kivu.”M23 is one of more than 100 armed groups vying for control in the east of the country Congo’s east, which holds mineral deposits critical to much of the world’s technology.
Rwanda denies claims made last year by the United Nations it has deployed up to 4,000 troops over the border to support the M23 rebels, who are largely ethnic Tutsi.
The government in Kinshasa says it is open to talks to resolve the conflict, but said the dialogue must be done within the context of previous peace agreements.
Rwanda and the rebels have accused the DR Congo government of defaulting on previous agreements.
M23 was formed in 2012 following a failed attempt to integrate ethnic Tutsis who broke away from the Congolese army.
It claims it took up arms against Congolese forces to defend the Tutsis from discrimination but has often talked about targeting the Congolese government.
After a decade of inactivity, the group resurfaced in late 2021, with its leaders accusing the Congolese government of neglecting its commitments to demobilize and integrate Congolese Tutsis into the country’s army and administration.
M23 says it is defending ethnic Tutsis in Congo.
Rwanda has claimed the Tutsis are being persecuted by Hutus and has accused the DR Congo government, and South Africa, of supporting FDLR (Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda), a group which contains many of those responsible for the 1994 genocide of 800,000 Tutsis in Rwanda.
Rwanda said the FDLR was now “fully integrated” into the Congolese military, which has denied the charges.
Kagame said he was prepared for a “confrontation” with South Africa if necessary. Thirteen South African troops, part of a SADC peacekeeping force, were killed near Goma last month.
