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UN briefing says M23 advance in eastern DRC threatens regional stability, urges cease-fire and humanitarian access
Summary
In a Security Council briefing, the United Nations warned that the M23 advance in North and South Kivu, including the taking of Goma, has worsened humanitarian and human-rights conditions, hampered MONUSCO operations, and prompted calls for urgent regional and international action.
Bento Keita, a United Nations briefing official, told the Security Council on Feb. 16 that the M23 armed group, which she said has received support from Rwandan forces, has continued offensive operations in North Kivu and South Kivu that threaten peace and stability in the Great Lakes region.
"This crisis represents a clear threat to the peace and stability of the Great Lakes Region," Keita said, describing recent territorial gains by M23 and the establishment of a parallel administration in Goma with the designation of a governor and a mayor.
Keita said the M23 seized control of Kavumu Airport and the provincial capital Bukavu on Feb. 16 and later took a town the briefing named "Camanyola," at an intersection of borders between the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Rwanda and Burundi. She said the group has imposed severe restrictions on MONUSCO's freedom of movement, blocked resupply of water and other vital goods to United Nations and partner personnel, and controls the roads entering and leaving areas under its control.
Those access and movement…
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