A powerful and coordinated response to these terrorists and their sponsors is underway, says Tshisekedi in a televised address to the nation, the first since the Rwanda-backed rebel group M23 launched its offensive in eastern Congo.
Tshisekedi laments the "unparalleled deterioration of the security situation" and warns that the fighting risks leading to a larger conflict escalation in the region. He simultaneously condemns the international community for having acted passively and with silence in the face of the rebels' offensive.
Despite international pressure to put an end to the crisis, Tshisekedi refused to participate in crisis talks with his Rwandan counterpart Paul Kagame on Wednesday.
On Sunday, the armed group and Rwandan forces entered central Goma in eastern Congo-Kinshasa. Congolese government forces claim to still control parts of the city, but according to eyewitnesses, rebels from M23 and Rwandan soldiers are the only ones seen on the streets.
The latest week's offensive marks a significant escalation in conflict-ridden eastern Congo, which has been a battleground for rival groups in the aftermath of the Rwandan genocide.
Hundreds of thousands of people have been forced to flee due to the recent clashes, many of them to Rwanda. The UN warns of an escalating humanitarian crisis, with severe food shortages, looted aid, overcrowded hospitals, and the risk of disease outbreaks.
The vast Congo-Kinshasa in Central Africa got its borders during the colonial era – without regard to the inhabitants and the traditional kingdoms that were then forced together.
The country is extremely rich in natural resources, but despite this, poverty has been widespread both during the colonial era and after independence from Belgium in 1960.
In 1998, war broke out after large numbers of refugees flowed into the country from Rwanda. Hundreds of thousands of people lost their lives, and the civilian population was subjected to horrific abuses.
The war formally ended in 2003, but the struggle over who should control the country's vast natural resources has continued and led to new outbreaks of violence at regular intervals, primarily in the eastern parts of the country.
Source: UI/Landguiden
