KINSHASA, July 8 (Xinhua) -- The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) will engage in diplomatic efforts during and after its humanitarian truce with the rebellion of the March 23 Movement (M23), which has taken numerous parts in eastern DRC, said Therese Kayikwamba Wagner, DRC state minister for Foreign Affairs, at a press briefing held here Monday.
This 14-day truce, from July 5 to 19, constitutes "a path marked out for the return of peace" in the eastern DRC, troubled by violence for decades, underlined Wagner, ensuring that the protection of the DRC population remains "the first priority" of her mandate.
"A truce does not mean that we are not vigilant," explained Wagner, saying diplomatic efforts aim at a "lasting solution" to restore peace, particularly disrupted by the advance of the M23 rebels whom the authorities accuse of being supported militarily by Rwanda, an accusation rejected by Kigali.
"We remain firm in our position that any discussions will take place within the framework of the Luanda peace process," initiated by Angolan President Joao Lourenco, said Wagner when responding to a query regarding dialogue between the DRC and Rwanda.
More than 900,000 newly displaced people were reported between January and April 2024, bringing the total number of the displaced to around 7.3 million in the country, including more than 5.6 million in the three eastern provinces, namely North Kivu, South Kivu and Ituri, according to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).
The DRC is experiencing "one of the most serious, most complex and most neglected humanitarian crises of this era", noted Bintou Keita, the representative of the UN Secretary-General in the DRC before the UN Security Council in New York Monday. ■
