President of DRC claims that the M23 rebels have not left as agreed

President Felix Tshisekedi of the Democratic Republic of the Congo said on Tuesday that the M23 rebel group lied about pulling its fighters out of the areas it had taken over in eastern DRC as part of an agreement.

As part of efforts to put an end to a conflict that has displaced at least 450,000 people and sparked a diplomatic crisis between the Congo and neighbouring Rwanda, regional leaders brokered an agreement in November that called for the Tutsi-led group to withdraw from recently captured positions by January 15.

During a panel discussion at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Tshisekedi stated, “Despite the worldwide pressure, the group is still there.”

“They act as though they are moving while only seeming to do so.” “They are only redeploying elsewhere and travelling about, staying in the towns they have taken over,” he explained. His remarks represented the Congolese government’s most forthright position on the implementation of the peace agreement so far.

“All that President Tshisekedi has to say is this. “The government is the one that continues to arm armed groups and violates the cease-fire,” affirmed M23 spokesman Lawrence Kanyaka.

An internal United Nations intelligence report from earlier in January stated that it was impossible to validate the M23’s alleged retreat from some regions owing to ongoing troop movement and that its analysis suggested the organisation had taken over fresh territory elsewhere.

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Once more, Tshisekedi charged that Rwanda was escalating the conflict by aiding the rebels, a charge that was echoed by Western governments and U.N. experts. Rwanda vehemently disputes this.

Although the city authorities have not given their approval, a number of civil society organisations have called for a march to be held on Wednesday in Goma, the capital of the province, to protest implementation delays for the M23 withdrawal.