Congo has broken all diplomatic ties with Rwanda and South Africa and said on Saturday that nine of its peace soldiers had been killed in the middle of a wave of fighting with rebels supported by Rwanda in the Congo oriental rich in minerals.
The three -year m23 insurgency in eastern Congo intensified in January, the rebels taking control of more territory than ever, which prompted the United Nations to warn of the risk of a more regional war wide.
The Congo and its allies said on Saturday that they had rejected the M23 fighters, who were advancing on the provincial capital Goma. The noise of the heavy bombardment nearby rocked the city in the early hours of Saturday.
The Congo, the UN and others accuse neighboring Rwanda of having fueled the conflict with its own troops and weapons. Rwanda denies it, but the Congo army said on Saturday that Rwandan elite shooters were responsible for the murder of the military governor of Northern Kivu province on the front line this week.
The Congo recalled its diplomats from Rwanda and asked the Rwandan authorities to stop diplomatic and consular activities in the Congolese capital within 48 hours, according to a letter from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs at the Rwandan Embassy dated January 24.
Members of the Congolese community gathered in Winnipeg on Saturday to denounce the climbing of violence in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, while calling for Canadian intervention to bring peace to their country of origin.
A representative of the ministry said on Saturday that the letter represented “the most serious form of diplomatic depression”.
The Rwandan authorities could not be joined immediately to comment because of the end of the hour.
Victims of peace
In a sign of increased international concern, the United Nations Security Council will meet on Sunday to discuss the crisis, diplomats said. He had previously planned to meet on Monday.
Farm fighting in recent days have killed two South Africans deployed with the United Nations peacekeeping mission and seven other people in the strength of the Southern African Regional Bloc in Congo, the national national defense force said on Saturday South African.
“The members fought to prevent the rebels from going to Goma as it was their intention,” he said.
Congolese troops and allied forces have pushed back the rebels, but the fighting continues in the conflict area, said Sylvain Ekenge’s army spokesperson, during a press briefing, adding that An advance in the neighboring province of southern Kivu had also been interrupted.
The situation appeared calm in Goma during the day on Saturday, people temporarily making their business in the middle of a strong police presence, said journalists from Reuters.
The United Nations said they started to temporarily relocate its non -essential staff to Goma due to the deterioration of the security situation.
The climbing and the imminent threat to Goma, which houses more than a million people, has aroused a renewal of calls in Rwanda to disengage.
“Rwanda must stop supporting the M23 and withdraw,” the European Union said on Saturday in a statement.
The M23 briefly managed to conquer Goma in a previous rebellion in 2012, which prompted international donors to reduce Rwanda aid. Even then, the rebels did not hold as much ground as today.
Insecurity also deepened the already casual situation in the Eastern Provinces, with 400,000 people more forced to flee their homes this year only, according to the United Nations Refugees Agency.
“The situation faced with Goma civilians is becoming more and more perilous and humanitarian needs are enormous,” Human Rights Watch said on Saturday.
