The M23 rebels in eastern DR Congo say they are observing a ceasefire that took effect on Monday, August 5, with “hope that it is going to open the door to direct dialogue” with the government. M23 spokesperson Lawrence Kanyuka said the rebels “only defend ourselves” from government attacks and wanted to de-escalate hostilities in North Kivu province. Kanyuka said this as Congolese President Felix Tshisekedi maintained his position to “never ever negotiate” with the M23 rebels. ALSO READ: Who are the M23 rebels in DR Congo? The M23 spokesperson had previously said they were not bound by the ceasefire agreed in the Angolan capital Luanda, at the July 30 meeting of foreign ministers of Rwanda, DR Congo and Angola. However, in an interview with The New Times on Tuesday, he said they were willing to give the ceasefire a chance, even if they were not represented in Luanda. “We support all initiatives that bring peace in eastern [DR Congo]. Even though we were not in Luanda, we hope the ceasefire [agreed there] is going to open the door to direct dialogue with the [Congolese] government to address the root cause of the conflict.” He said the Congolese army had “sent its proxies” to attack the M23 positions, but “we haven’t responded to any provocations.” Kanyuka said the clashes at Ishasha border post, which forced nearly 100 Congolese policemen to flee to Uganda, had happened on Saturday, before the ceasefire took effect. The Luanda meeting ordered an ad hoc verification mechanism made up of experts from the three countries to monitor the ceasefire. ALSO READ: M23 says DR Congo army ignoring de-escalation initiative Fighting between the FARDC and the M23 began in November 2021 in North Kivu province, after the rebel group said the government had reneged on its promises to sign agreements that would see its combatants reintegrated into the army. They also said the government had failed to neutralise the FDLR, which has spread a genocide ideology and hate speech against Congolese Tutsi communities. ALSO READ: M23 rebels seize more territory in eastern DR Congo Various initiatives have failed to end the conflict, which has displaced hundreds of thousands of people and forced tens of thousands more to flee to neighbouring countries. In an interview with radio Top Congo during his visit to Belgium on Tuesday, Tshisekedi ruled out any possibility of peace talks with the M23, which is part of the Congo River Alliance (AFC), a rebel coalition headed by Corneille Nangaa, a former president of the Congolese electoral commission. “Never, never ever, as long as I am President of the Democratic Republic of Congo, will I have in front of me the delegation of the M23 or the AFC ... to negotiate, never,” Tshisekedi said. The Congolese Minister of Information and Government Spokesperson Patrick Muyaya had said the ceasefire was “welcomed” and that Congolese armed forces (FARDC) would abide by it. He said, however, that the “re-organisation of our forces” would continue. ALSO READ: Absence of security gave birth to M23 rebellion Kanyuka said the current situation will make the international community see “what the DRC government is about.” “They will say one thing and they will do the contrary,” he said. He accused the FARDC, the FDLR, a militia linked to 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda, and “all the ethnic-oriented Mai Mai who are today called Wazalendo” of committing the massacres in eastern DR Congo. ALSO READ: Rwanda, DR Congo, Angola intelligence experts to examine FDLR neutralisation plan “This coalition, which includes Eastern European mercenaries and Burundi National Defence Forces, keeps on massacring our population and driving the ethnic cleansing,” he said. “That is something we are stopping. We haven’t yet attacked the [Congolese] government. We only defend and protect ourselves.” Before the M23 resurfaced in 2021, the rebel group had been silent for nearly a decade after it was defeated in 2013. It is one of more than 200 armed groups operating in eastern DR Congo, a region that has been volatile for nearly three decades.
