adminInstead of “encouraging a political solution by supporting the political negotiations . . . the UN has chosen to wage war against one of the partners for peace”, the M23 political leader Bertrand Bisimwa said in a statement.
The statement follows a decision by the UN Security Council on Thursday to approve the sending of a 3 000-strong force with orders to “neutralise” and “disarm” rebel groups in the resource-rich east of the country which has been gripped by conflict for more than two decades.
The M23 rebels, mostly army mutineers, are among the main militias operating in DR Congo’s east, seeking a part in the control of the region’s considerable mineral wealth.
In November they staged a lightning advance through the area and are currently involved in talks with the government in neighbouring Uganda.
The UN’s “offensive” peacekeepers, due to begin operating in July, will join the MONUSCO troops (the United Nations Stabilisation Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo) which with more than 19 000 uniformed personnel is one of the largest UN peacekeeping forces in the world. — AFP.
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