M23: UK condemns DRC town capture, calls for de-escalation

The United Kingdom has condemned the capture of eastern DR Congo-based town Masisi by the M23 rebels.

“This is a clear violation of the ceasefire and undermines efforts taken through the Luanda process to achieve sustainable peace in Eastern DRC," a foreign, Commonwealth & Development spokesperson said in a statement issued on January 9, 2025.

M23 rebels on Saturday, January 4, 2025, seized control of Masisi, a key town in the mineral-rich DRC.

"Between 1 and 3 January 2025, intense clashes between the Congolese army and a non-state armed group in Masisi Centre, North Kivu province, displaced an estimated 102,000 people, according to local reports," the UN Office for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs said.

Rwanda's foreign ministry claimed that the areas taken by M23 forces in recent days had been in the hands of Hutu militias linked to the 1994 mass killings of Tutsis in Rwanda.

"Many parts of Masisi territory are/were in the hands of the genocidal FDLR, which is a foreign force that is occupying a Congolese territory," Foreign Minister Olivier Nduhungirehe said in the statement.

He also denounced international criticism that had not condemned "the continued violation of the integrity of Congolese land belonging to Congolese communities, including Tutsi Congolese".

Masisi, with a population of around 40,000 people, is about 80km north of North Kivu's provincial capital Goma.

“The UK calls for urgent de-escalation and respect of DRC’s territorial integrity. We urge Rwanda and DRC to return to the negotiating table and to implement all commitments made under the Angolan-led Luanda process. An end to the conflict in Eastern DRC will create peace dividends for all,” the statement from the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office partly reads.

Over 100,000 displaced since New Year's

According to the United Nations humanitarian affairs office, recent fighting in part of eastern DRC has displaced more than 100,000 people over the last week.

"Humanitarian actors warn the influx of displaced people may worsen Masisi's dire situation, with over 600,000 displaced as of 30 November 2024," the UN body added.