The Alliance Fleuve Congo/Movement du 23 Mars (AFC/M23) has accused the government of the Democratic Republic of Congo of violating signed peace agreements and fuelling renewed violence in the country’s east.
The movement also called on the United Nations Security Council to press Kinshasa to honour its commitments under the Doha Peace Process.
In a statement issued following a UN Security Council briefing on the DRC on December 12, the group welcomed the Council’s engagement and reiterated its support for mediation efforts led by Qatar.
M23 said only sincere dialogue and strict respect for signed agreements could address what it described as the root causes of the conflict.
“The latest military escalation stems from repetitive violations of signed agreements and coordinated attacks on civilians by the Congolese Armed Forces (FARDC) and its allied Burundi National Defence Forces, the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR), the ethnically-charged Wazalendo militia coalition and foreign mercenaries,” the statement said.
The movement appealed directly to the Security Council to intervene diplomatically.
“The AFC/M23 appreciates the UN Security Council’s attention to the situation in eastern DRC and takes this opportunity to request that the Council urge the Kinshasa government to implement its commitments under the Doha Peace Process,” it added, stressing that it remained “fully committed to this process for a peaceful settlement of the conflict.”
Rejecting allegations that it operates as a foreign-backed force, M23 described itself as a Congolese liberation movement and warned against what it termed a dangerous misrepresentation of its role.
“Any suggestion seeking to present the AFC/M23 as ‘foreigners’ or as Rwanda’s proxy is a dangerous misrepresentation that legitimises the narrative of the Kinshasa government,” the group said.
The statement listed what it described as systemic failures by the Congolese state, including bad governance characterised by state capture, ethnic targeting, and repression of political opposition.
It also alleged that members of certain communities were being deliberately targeted and threatened with extermination.
The group justified its armed stance as an act of self-defence.
“If the Kinshasa regime… believes that it can regain control over the national territory by waging war against its own citizens, then it must also be understood that we, as citizens of the Republic, equally possess the legitimate right to defend our lives,” the statement said.
The AFC/M23 concluded by reiterating its call for international pressure on Kinshasa to respect agreements already signed.
“The recent military escalation results from repeated violations of these agreements,” it said, adding that it remained committed to a peaceful and lasting resolution to the conflict.
