The United Nations has welcomed a ceasefire agreed between the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Rwanda in eastern DRC and said it hoped the deal could lead to a "de-escalation" of hostilities, a spokesperson said.
"We hope this agreement will help create the conditions for de-escalation of tensions between the DRC and Rwanda and enable the safe return of those internally displaced to their homes," said UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric on Wednesday.
This follows a meeting between the foreign ministers of DRC and Rwanda who agreed to a ceasefire in eastern Congo, the Angolan presidency said Tuesday following peace talks in Luanda.
"The second ministerial meeting between the Democratic Republic of Congo and the Republic of Rwanda, held today in Luanda under the mediation of the Republic of Angola, agreed on the establishment of a ceasefire that will come into effect from midnight on 4 August 2024," the Angolan presidency said.
Angola has been mediating in the conflict in the eastern DRC region of North Kivu, where Rwanda-backed M23 rebels have been fighting Democratic Republic of Congo forces since late 2021.
Fragile ceasefire
The ceasefire will be monitored by a reinforced "Ad Hoc Verification Mechanism", a statement issued after the meeting said, referring to a monitoring system previously created under the auspices of a regional grouping.
It comes as a humanitarian truce between the M23 rebels and government forces was due to expire at 11:59 pm on 3 August.
It was not immediately clear if the ceasefire would extend the truce or have a larger scope.
France and Belgium said they welcomed the ceasefire between Kinshasa and Kigali, soon after the announcement.
A region at war
On 5 July, the United States had announced the first two weeks of a "humanitarian truce", but the deal was not respected in some areas.
Two children and two teenagers were killed in a bombardment on 15 July, four days before the truce was set to expire.
M23 rebels, DRC begin two-week 'humanitarian truce'
At the end of June, the M23 rebels, backed by Rwanda, seized several towns in the Lubero territory, in the north of North Kivu, following the collapse of the Congolese army and its auxiliary militias.
The M23 and the Rwandan army also launched an offensive in North Kivu province in the mineral-rich eastern DRC at the end of 2021 and since then have seized large swathes of territory.
A report commissioned by the UN Security Council said that 3,000 to 4,000 Rwandan soldiers had been fighting alongside the M23 rebels and that Kigali had "de facto control" of the group's operations.
Rwanda-backed M23 rebels seize key town in east DRC
Rwandan President Paul Kagame has not explicitly denied the presence of Rwandan forces in DRC, and even expressed his willingness to take a "defensive" position to protect Kigali's interests.
The eastern part of DRC, rich in minerals, has been racked for 30 years by fighting between both local and foreign-based armed groups, going back to regional wars of the 1990s.
Dozens have been killed and hundreds of thousands displaced in North Kivu since January.
(with AFP)
