Two hundred thousand people have fled their homes in eastern Congo in the past few days, the United Nations has said, as the Rwanda-backed M23 rebel group advances on the strategic city just days after Donald Trump hosted the leaders of Rwanda and Congo for a peace declaration.
In a statement late on Monday, the UN said at least 74 people, mostly civilians, had been killed and 83 hospitalized with injuries as a result of the escalating conflict in the region over the past few days.
Local officials and residents said the Rwanda-backed M23 rebel group was closing in on the lakeside town of Uviri on the Burundi border, and was fighting the Congolese army and local groups known as Wazalendo in villages north of the town.
On Thursday, the US president hosted the presidents of Rwanda and Congo in Washington for a ceremony to sign an agreement confirming the end of the war.
– Today we are succeeding where many others have failed – Trump said, claiming that his administration has ended a 30-year conflict that has claimed millions of lives.
Reuters reported on Monday that the rebels had captured Luvungi, a town on the front line since February, and that fierce fighting was taking place in the villages of Sange and Kiliba, along the road to Uvira north of the town.
Rwanda denies supporting the rebels in Congo, although Washington and the United Nations say there is clear evidence of Rwandan support. Before the latest escalation, the conflict had already displaced at least 1.2 million people.
In a speech to lawmakers on Monday, Congolese President Felix Tshisekedi accused Rwanda of violating commitments it made in Washington.
A senior Trump administration official said Washington was monitoring the situation, working with Congo and Rwanda, and that “the president is making it clear to both sides that the implementation of the agreement will be what he will judge by, and he said he expects immediate results.”
(Vijesti.ba)
