UN Security Council demands M23 stop offensive in eastern Congo

NEW YORK, Jan 26 (Reuters) – The United Nations Security Council on Sunday demanded that M23 rebel forces stop an ongoing offensive and advance towards Goma, the largest city in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, and that “external forces” in the region immediately withdraw.

The council demands came just hours after Rwandan-backed M23 said they had taken Goma following a lightning advance that has forced thousands of people to flee and fuelled concerns of a regional war. Reuters could not independently determine whether the city was fully under rebel control.

The 15-member U.N. Security Council met earlier on Sunday to discuss the crisis and then quickly agreed on a lengthy statement.

The council urged Rwanda and the DRC to return to talks to achieve peace and address issues related to the presence of Rwanda Defence Forces in the eastern Congo and Congolese support for the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR).

M23 vows to defend Tutsi interests, particularly against ethnic Hutu militias such as the FDLR, which was founded by Hutus who fled Rwanda after participating in the 1994 genocide of more than 800,000 Tutsis and moderate Hutus.

At the council meeting on Sunday, the United States, France and Britain condemned what they said was Rwanda’s backing of the M23 rebel advance. Kigali has long denied supporting M23.

In its statement, the Security Council “condemned the ongoing flagrant disregard for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the DRC, including the unauthorized presence in the Eastern DRC of external forces”.

It did not explicitly name the external forces but demanded that they “withdraw immediately.”

Acting U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Dorothy Shea specifically called out Rwanda for using GPS jamming and spoofing, which was also reflected in the council statement.

“The members of the Security Council are also deeply alarmed by continued occurrences of GPS jamming and spoofing activities in support of M23 operations in North Kivu, which represent imminent risk to civil aviation safety and negatively impact the delivery of humanitarian assistance to populations in need,” the Security Council said.