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UN urges M23 to allow movement after obstruction in eastern DRC; peacekeeper remains repatriated
Summary
The UN reported that M23 fighters denied MONUSCO access to Goma and obstructed disposal of unexploded ordnance, and said it had repatriated the remains of peacekeepers including 18 South African soldiers, two MONUSCO peacekeepers and 16 SADC mission soldiers.
The United Nations warned on Wednesday that elements of the M23 armed group denied UN peacekeeping contractors access to Goma and obstructed the safe disposal of unexploded ordnance, including devices that threaten both peacekeepers and national armed forces, the UN said at a press briefing.
The UN called on M23 to allow unimpeded movement of UN personnel and to respect established humanitarian corridors. The briefing confirmed the repatriation of the remains of 18 South African soldiers, two MONUSCO peacekeepers and 16 Southern African Development Community (SADC) Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo soldiers earlier that morning. The remains of a Uruguayan peacekeeper killed in related circumstances departed Kampala for Uruguay the previous day, the UN said.
The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs reported continued clashes in South Kivu and said strikes in the Housi locality, about 70 kilometers north of Bukavu, led to displacement and people fleeing to nearby towns and islands on Lake Kivu. Transport to some areas was strained, complicating partners’ ability to move food and other goods, the UN said.
Local authorities in North Kivu and other provinces continued assessments and provided emergency relief where security allows; humanitarian partners are working with the national electricity company to restore the power supply between Goma and Bukavu, the briefing added. In Ituri province, local authorities reported attacks since Feb. 8 that killed at least 59 civilians in Njugu, with others wounded or missing, the briefing said.
