Despite the July peace accord in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), armed groups continue to attack the army and civilians, according to Elias Magosi, executive secretary of the Southern African Development Community (SADC), Bloomberg reports.
“Armed groups continue to carry out sporadic attacks on the armed forces of the DRC and civilians, leading to dire humanitarian conditions. We are gravely concerned about the reported violations of the cease-fire by some parties to the agreement, which must be condemned in the strongest of terms,” Elias Magosi, the executive secretary of the 16-nation Southern African Development Community, said at a meeting of regional leaders in Harare, Zimbabwe.
The M23 rebel group, which the DRC accuses Rwanda of backing, is among those violating the ceasefire. The two countries signed a truce on July 30, which took effect on August 4.
SADC has deployed troops led by South Africa to the region to help maintain peace. Their mandate expires on December 15, and SADC leaders are meeting in Harare to discuss whether to extend it.
“We had hoped that the cease-fire would create a conducive environment for enhanced solution-focused dialog between the parties, while also enabling a seamless flow of humanitarian support to the people affected by the armed conflict,” Magosi said.
