The withdrawal of UN peacekeepers from Congo’s North Kivu province is unlikely to proceed as planned due to the presence of Rwandan troops, according to Congolese Foreign Minister Therese Kayikwamba Wagner. North Kivu has been facing a two-year insurgency by the Rwanda-backed M23 militia, which has displaced over a million people since it began. According to Wagner, Congo’s government considers the UN mission’s withdrawal a priority. However, it insists the withdrawal must occur under suitable conditions. During her statement, Wagner emphasized that raising international awareness of Rwanda’s involvement with the M23 rebels is beginning to bear fruit and expressed hopes it would receive sanctions as a result. The ongoing conflict in the North Kivu province has resulted in the displacement of over 1.7 million Congolese persons, further driving the number of displaced Congolese to over 7.2 million.
SOURCE: REUTERS