Online Reporter
THE M23 rebel movement, which controls large swathes of territory in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, is threatening to boycott the ongoing peace process.
At issue is the release of prisoners, which Kinshasa is being slow to do.
With negotiations due to resume in Doha next month, the M23, through its permanent secretary, Benjamin Mbonimpa, took a tougher stance at a press briefing on Friday.
“After the implementation of the Declaration of Principles, discussions will immediately follow to sign an actual agreement,” said Mbonimpa, who is also a negotiator.
The declaration, signed by both sides earlier this month, is intended as a road map towards a permanent peace deal which is due by August 18.
“What will we do in Doha if our prisoners are not yet released, because it is written in the declaration that this clause must be implemented before moving on to the next stage,” said Mbonimpa.
The agreement in principle, signed in Doha under Qatar’s mediation, provided for an immediate ceasefire.
But the truce was short-lived, with the warring parties accusing each other of violations.
Fighting between the M23 and the Wazalendo self-defence groups, allied with the Congolese army, is intensifying in North and South Kivu provinces.
Mbonimpa said the M23 will always be on the defensive, blaming Kinshasa and its proxy forces for the attacks.
“As I said in the briefing, if the Wazalendo attack us, we will observe and declare that it is the Kinshasa government that is attacking us,” he said.
In Goma, a city of more than two million inhabitants that fell into rebel hands last January, the hope raised by the signing of the agreement is already beginning to fade.
Tired of repeated violence, the population wants only one thing: real and lasting peace.
Direct talks on a peace deal are due to begin in Doha on August 8, but the threat of the M23 looms large.
For those overseeing the process and people in the east, the new round of discussions must be a decisive turning point, moving from fragile promises to a genuine desire to silence the guns. — Wires
