Former Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta has called for an «immediate» end to the fighting between the Army of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and the rebel group March 23 Movement (M23) and advocated a return to the clauses of the agreement signed in Nairobi.
Kenyatta, mediator of the East African Community (EAC) for the conflict, indicated that «the war must cease immediately in eastern DRC between the belligerents, all parties to the Nairobi process, in order to resume any form of dialogue».
«Even if we are in conflict, even if we do not understand each other, we have to stop fighting», he said, before adding that «the displaced have nothing to do with the conflict». «Let’s have mercy on these people, let’s stop fighting and let’s discuss,» he requested.
Kenyatta was shocked by the deteriorating humanitarian situation due to the conflict and said that «thousands» of people have been affected by the fighting. «This number will increase,» he warned, Congolese radio station Radio Okapi reported.
«Being children of God, we must know that a human being is not an animal. It is what we see today, as if man is a wild animal. It is our responsibility to put an end to this war. We condemn no one. This advice applies to all parties in conflict,» he said.
The fighting in recent days has been centered around the capital of North Kivu province, Goma, following bombing raids carried out last week by the DRC army against M23 positions in the area.
According to the United Nations, 188,000 people have fled their homes since October 20, for a total of almost 240,000 since the beginning of this latest conflict, which has provoked a diplomatic crisis between the DRC and Rwanda due to the alleged support of Kigali to the armed group – which the Rwandan authorities deny – and the intervention of a Kenyan support force deployed in the framework of the EAC.
