Urgent UN Security Council meeting on the escalating crisis in the DRC

Sunday 26 January 2025 - 15:08

In response to the intensifying conflict in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) has moved up its emergency meeting to Sunday. The meeting, initially scheduled for Monday, was advanced following the surge in hostilities. Kinshasa, with support from France, called for this urgent session, which will take place at 10:00 AM local time (3:00 PM GMT), featuring the expected intervention of the UN peacekeeping mission head in the DRC, Bintou Keita.

The crisis in the region has escalated as fighting between the Congolese military and the M23 rebel group, which is reportedly supported by Rwanda and its military, intensifies. In response to this, Kinshasa announced on Saturday that it had recalled its diplomats from Kigali. The M23, which has gained considerable ground in recent weeks, now nearly surrounds Goma, the capital of North Kivu province, a city home to about one million residents and a similar number of displaced people.

The DRC’s Foreign Ministry informed Rwanda’s embassy in Kinshasa, in a letter dated Friday, that Congolese diplomats in Kigali were being recalled immediately. This follows the failure of mediation efforts under the Angola-led process aimed at resolving tensions between the DRC and Rwanda. Over the last several weeks, an estimated 3,000-4,000 Rwandan soldiers, along with the M23, have gained ground, exacerbating the humanitarian crisis.

The African Union (AU) has called for an immediate cessation of hostilities and strict adherence to the ceasefire agreed upon by the involved parties. The region, rich in natural resources, has seen repeated cycles of conflict over the past three decades. Multiple ceasefires have been declared but repeatedly broken. The most recent ceasefire was agreed upon in late July.

The European Union also joined the call, urging the M23 to halt its advance and demanding that Rwanda withdraw its forces. In the face of these developments, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres expressed alarm over the potential for these conflicts to spiral into a broader regional war.

In the latest violence, 13 foreign soldiers, including three UN peacekeepers, have been killed in recent days during clashes with the M23. Among the casualties are two South African soldiers and one Uruguayan peacekeeper. The UN’s MONUSCO mission, which includes around 15,000 troops, is actively engaged in intense combat with the M23 using its elite units. Additionally, seven South African soldiers and three Malawian soldiers serving in the Southern African Development Community's (SADC) regional force have also been killed. The SADC’s force has been deployed in the DRC’s eastern region since 2023 and includes about 2,900 South African troops.