East Drc: M23 And Rwanda Are Charged With Breaking The Cease-fire

A humanitarian ceasefire declared by the United States last week is allegedly being broken by Rwanda and the M23 rebels, according to the Congolese army on Thursday.

In order to enable aid workers to reach warring areas in the North Kivu province, where millions of people are facing one of the greatest humanitarian crises in history, a two-week truce has been in place since July 5.

According to the UN, after just one week, there have been reports of ongoing violence in Masisi area close to Goma, the city of North Kivu.

This year, the fighting in the area has gotten worse, forcing hundreds of thousands of people to flee rebels.

Rwanda has come under fire on Thursday from Kinshasa for allegedly supporting the M23 rebel group and for “the Kigali regime’s failure to respect the truce […] thus denying them access to humanitarian aid.”

Although M23 is the most active group in the years-long battle, over 120 armed groups are engaged in conflict for the region’s resources.

Currently, the DRC’s eastern region is home to more than 7 million displaced persons. According to non-profit ACLED, at least 416 violent incidents have claimed the lives of 1,467 people so far this year, with half of those deaths occurring in North Kivu.