The Secretary -General launches a special appeal for peace in the Democratic Republic of the Congo

This came during the conversation of the Secretary -General of Journalists at the United Nations headquarters in New York on Thursday, where Guterres highlighted the “very disturbing situation” in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

The Secretary -General announced that he will participate next week, at a meeting at the summit level of the Confederation of the African Union and Security Council in Addis Ababa, where this crisis will be at the heart of discussions.

Tomorrow, Tanzania will host a summit of East African Development Community and the Southern African Development Group. The Secretary -General said that the focus during this summit will be on addressing the crisis in the face of the attack by the March 23 (M23) movement, with the support of the Rwandan Defense Forces.

The Secretary -General continued, saying: “While the Tanzania summit starts, and while I am preparing to leave for Addis Ababa, my message is clear: I silence the guns. Stop the escalation. They respected the sovereignty of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and its territorial integrity. They committed to international human rights law and international humanitarian law.”

Guterres stressed that there is no military solution, noting that the time has come to meet all the signers on the framework of peace, security and cooperation of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the region with their obligations.

He went on, saying: “It is time for mediation. It is time to end this crisis. It is time for peace. The risks are very big. We need an active and constructive role from all players – led by neighboring countries, without regional regional union, and the United Nations. Let’s work together for peace.” .

The humanitarian situation in Goma is fraught with risks

The Secretary -General pointed to the killing of thousands of people – including women and children – and that hundreds of thousands were forced to flee their homes in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo. It shed light on the constant threat by other armed groups, whether they were Congolese or foreign, alarm about the high price that results from it.

The Secretary -General also referred to numerous reports on human rights violations, which include sexual and gender -based violence, forced recruitment, and the disruption of life -saving aid. He said that the humanitarian situation in Goma and its surroundings are risky.

Guterres explained that hundreds of thousands of people are in a movement, and many previous sites were looted, destroyed, destroyed, destroyed or deserted. As for healthcare facilities, they are crowded. Also, other basic services – including schools, water, electricity, phone lines and the Internet – are very limited.

At the same time, the conflict is still raging in southern Kivu and threatening to invade the entire region. The Secretary -General honored all those who lost their lives, including the peace memorization of the United Nations Mission to achieve stability in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (Monosco) and regional forces.