M23 ceased fire.
(KDN),7,MARCH_The M23 group has stopped fighting in the war that was fighting with the army of the Democratic Republic of the Congo as of noon on Tuesday, March 7, 2023, but warns that if attacked, it will defend itself.
As kigali daily news learnt A statement signed by M23’s political spokesman, Lawrence Kanyuka, says that the group took this decision in order to implement what the M23 group agreed with the President of Angola, João Lourenço, in Luanda and the decisions made in various meetings. including Bujumbura, Nairobi and Addis Ababa.
All of these meetings aimed to find a peaceful solution to the conflict in Eastern DRC.
“M23 declares a cease-fire effective Tuesday, March 7, 2023, at noon, to allow a political process,” the statement said.
M23 advised regional leaders and international partners not to abandon efforts to restore peace and security in Eastern DRC and the region in its entirety.
M23 said that it is committed to solving the problems in a peaceful way, but it has every right to defend itself whenever it is attacked by the Government of RDC and its allied groups of FDLR, Nyatura, Mai-Mai, APCLS, PARECO, NDC-R, and those racist individuals.
The group also continued to say that it will not stop protecting and protecting civilians and their property.
The group stopped fighting after Burundi sent 100 soldiers to the East African Community Force, which is on a mission to restore peace in the East of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, EACRF.
It is a decision based on the outcomes of a meeting held in Nairobi, Kenya on February 9, 2023.
The February meeting, presided over by the Chief of the Armed Forces of Burundi, Gen Prime Niyongabo, and attended by the heads of state of the EAC, asked the opposing sides in the RDC to cease fighting and all armed groups to put their weapons down.
He also asked the opposing sides to go to the negotiation process.
The meeting agreed that the M23 group should leave the bases it occupied, between February 28 – March 10, 2023 from the areas of Kibumba, Rumangabo, Karenga Kilorirwe and Kitchanga between March 13-20 and from the areas of Kishishe, Bambo, Kazaroho , Tongo and Mabenga, and between 23-30 March, M23 from Rutshuru, Kiwanja and Bunagana areas.
The meeting also approved the areas to which the EACRF troops will be dispatched, with Burundian troops going to Sake, Kilorirwe, Kitchanga, then to Kenya to work in Kibumba, Rumangabo, Tongo, Bwiza, and Kishishe.
This is when the South Sudan Army to go to Rumagabo and collaborate with the Kenyan Army, while the Ugandan Army should go to Bunagana, Kiwanja/Rutshuru, and Mabenga.
On the other hand, there is concern that the areas where the Burundian Army should operate include the M23, other than the ones called Kibumba and Rumangabo which have already been withdrawn.
