A two-week humanitarian ceasefire began on Friday between Kinshasa and M23 rebels in the Democratic Republic of Congo’s war-scarred east.
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The United States announced the ceasefire on Thursday, a day before it was set to begin, and expressed hope for a permanent ceasefire. No one in the Democratic Republic of Congo has yet mentioned the ceasefire publicly.
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Kinshasa accuses Rwanda of backing the Tutsi-led M23 rebel group, which has seized control of large swaths of eastern DRC in a sustained offensive launched in 2021, a charge Kigali denies.
“The situation is calm,” said a Masisi regional administration official, echoing the views of residents interviewed by AFP in North Kivu, particularly in the Lubero region, scene of recent fighting.
“We pray to God that this condition will continue,” the official added.
The White House’s National Security Council announced on Thursday that the ceasefire would begin at midnight local time on July 5 and last until July 19.
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The ceasefire, supported by the Congolese and Rwandan governments, allows for the voluntary return of displaced people and unhindered access for humanitarian workers to vulnerable populations, the report said.
The United States announced a “ceasefire” in December last year, which lasted for about 10 days before being resumed after the Dec. 20 elections.
“The humanitarian situation in North Kivu is dire, with nearly three million displaced people in the province,” it said.
“The recent escalation of fighting in North Kivu has prevented humanitarian workers from delivering aid to hundreds of thousands of internally displaced people in the area around Kanyabayonga, forcing more than 100,000 people to flee their homes,” the statement added.
The M23 have almost completely surrounded Goma, the capital of North Kivu province, leaving dozens dead and forcing hundreds of thousands more to flee.
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“We welcome this step but we simply want a complete withdrawal of Rwandan and M23 forces and the prosecution of rebel leaders,” Moise Hangi, an activist with the Rucha civil movement, told AFP in Goma.
Last week, rebels seized more territory on the northern front, triggering further displacement.
According to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, there are already 2.8 million displaced people in North Kivu.
The European Union also praised Friday’s announcement.
“The EU commends the US efforts and strongly welcomes the efforts of both the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Rwanda. We hope that this humanitarian ceasefire will lead to a permanent ceasefire and that a sustainable political solution will be built in the context of the Luanda and Nairobi processes,” the statement said.
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“This is an important step to alleviate suffering and protect millions of lives. We continue to support all mediation efforts for a lasting peace,” Belgian Foreign Minister Hajja Labib said on Twitter.
The United Nations Stabilization Mission in the Congo (MONUSCO) in the Democratic Republic of the Congo also welcomed the X-day ceasefire signed by the parties with the involvement of the United States.
The mineral-rich eastern Democratic Republic of Congo has been plagued by fighting between local and foreign-based armed groups for three decades, dating back to a regional war in the 1990s.
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