Peace in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) “is still mostly a promise”, the head of the UN peacekeeping mission in the country, MONUSCO, told the Security Council on Tuesday. “There are discrepancies between the progress we see on paper and the reality we observe on the ground which continues to be marred with violence,” said Bintou Keita, presenting the Secretary-General’s latest report. She highlighted progress since the signing of the Washington Agreement between the DRC and Rwanda on 27 June, including the signing of a declaration of principle between the Congolese Government and the AFC/M23 rebel group in Doha the following month. The DRC has long accused Rwanda of supporting the M23 and the developments came in the wake of a deadly offensive in the eastern provinces of North Kivu and South Kivu, launched late last year, with the rebels capturing key cities and villages, including provincial capitals Goma and Bukavu.
DR Congo: Peace still elusive despite ‘progress we see on paper’, UN official says | UN News
