The Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the head of MONUSCO Bintou Keita strongly condemned the recent attacks by armed rebels of the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) in the provinces of North Kivu and Ituri, in the northeast part of the country.
According to a statment released on Wednesday, the Special Representative reiterated the need to initiate de-escalation as soon as possible, to obtain that the M23 and all armed groups lay down their arms without conditions, and to ensure a united regional and international response for security and stability in eastern DRC.
Also in this regard, she affirmed the need to maintain military pressure on the ADF and other armed groups operating in North Kivu and Ituri, as the Congolese army and MONUSCO have been concentrating for more than a month to repel the attacks by the rebels of the March 23 Movement (M23).
In April, the members of the Coopérative pour le développement du Congo (CODECO) militia were accused of attacking and killing one peacekeeper from Nepal.
Following this terrorist attack, the Secretary-General pointed out that the United Nations, through his Special Representative in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, will continue to support the Congolese Government and people in their efforts to bring about peace and stability in the east of the country.
UN Chief also called on the Congolese authorities to investigate this incident and swiftly bring those responsible to justice.
In the same connection, Guterres considered attacks against United Nations peacekeepers as a war crime.
It's worth mentioning that the main purpose of MONUSCO is to support the provincial authorities with actions for the stabilization and restoration of the State authority in this territory.
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