The African Union Commission chair on Thursday called for restraint as more than 400 civilians have been killed in recent clashes in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo’s South Kivu province.
In a statement, Mahmoud Ali Youssouf, the commission chair, regretted violence perpetrated against civilians, calling on all stakeholders to exercise restraint and to prioritize a political solution.
This came after Bashizi-Didier Kabuya, the South Kivu government spokesperson, said in a statement on Wednesday that more than 413 victims, including women, children, and young people, were killed by bullets, grenades and bombs in different localities in Uvira territory.
The same day, the M23 rebels claimed to have seized Uvira, a key commercial hub close to the border with Burundi, which served as a temporary capital of South Kivu province, following days of fighting with government forces.
The capture of Uvira led to a major humanitarian crisis, with more than 200,000 people forced to flee their homes, Kabuya said.
On Dec. 4, Congolese President Felix Tshisekedi and Rwandan President Paul Kagame signed a peace and economic agreement aimed at putting an end to the fighting in eastern Congo.
The agreement was signed following a peace agreement brokered by US President Donald Trump in June.
The African Union chairperson said the recent clashes and violence “run counter to the momentum” generated by the Doha Framework Agreement between Congo and AFC/M23, as well as the US-brokered peace deal signed between Congo and Rwanda.
Youssouf reiterated the “African Union’s long-standing position that lasting peace in the Great Lakes region is predicated on full respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all States.”
He also condemned any attempt to establish a parallel administration in eastern Congo.
On Wednesday, the Congolese government attributed the violence in Uvira to “widespread offensive launched in recent days by the Rwandan Defense Forces” along the Kamanyola-Uvira axis.
In a statement, the Communication Ministry said the latest attacks constitute a “blatant violation” of the ceasefire, the commitments made under recent peace agreements, as well as fundamental principles of international humanitarian law.
It said: “Faced with the blatant contempt displayed by Rwanda, it is important that binding measures, including sanctions, be taken to ensure the implementation” of the deal championed by Trump.
But Rwanda on Wednesday accused Congolese and Burundian armies of violating the ceasefire.
The M23 resumed fighting in 2021, launching a lightning offensive that led to the capture of several territories, including the provincial capitals of Goma and Bukavu.
The UN, Kinshasa, and others accuse neighboring Rwanda of supporting the M23, which Kigali denies.
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