Written by Michelle Nichols
NEW YORK (Reuters) – United Nations Security Statement MBBBMLENGTHY.
The Council urged Rwanda and the community to return to talks to achieve peace and address issues related to the presence of the Rwanda Defense Forces in eastern Congo and Congolese support for the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR).
The M23 pledges to defend Tutsi interests, especially against ethnic Hutu militias such as the FDLR, which was founded by Hutus who fled Rwanda after participating in the 1994 genocide of more than 800,000 Tutsis and moderate Hutus.
At a council meeting on Sunday, the United States, France and Britain condemned what they said was Rwanda's support for the M23 rebel advance. Kigali has long denied supporting the M23.
In its statement, the Security Council condemned the “continued blatant disregard for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, including the unauthorized presence in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo of external powers.”
He did not explicitly mention the outside powers but demanded that they “withdraw immediately.”
US Ambassador to UN Dorothy Shea specifically called out Rwanda for using GPS jamming and deception, which was also reflected in the Council's statement.
“The members of the Security Council are deeply concerned by the continuing incidents of GPS jamming and spoofing in support of M23 operations in North Kivu, which represent imminent risks to civil aviation safety and negatively impact the delivery of humanitarian assistance to populations in need,” the Security Council said.
