The United Nations (UN) Special Representative of the Secretary General in the Democratic Republic of Congo Bintou Keita has warned that the security situation in the country’s eastern region has deteriorated with the continued advancement of the M23 Rebel Group.
Speaking at a press briefing on Wednesday, Keita revealed that the security situation in eastern DRC had deteriorated since the proclamation of Fèlix Tshisekedi as president following chaotic elections held in December, 2023.
“The security situation in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo has deteriorated more than before since the end of the elections, the M23 has advanced significantly and it has expanded its territorial influence in an unprecedented way, this has caused a humanitarian situation even more serious and the number of internally displaced people has reached an unprecedented level” Keita said.
Keita has since called for the withdrawal of the M23 rebels and any other illegal forces who continue to operate and occupy territories in the east.
“As the council has said on several occasions and as was also said by the African Union Peace and Security Council in a recent communiqué, all foreign forces operating illegally on the territory of the DRC must withdraw. We must also disarm national and foreign armed groups such as the ADF and the FDLR,” she said in her speech via video conference.
