Rebels of the March 23 Movement (M23) announced on Friday morning the start of the withdrawal of their elements from the position of Kibumba, located about 20 km from Goma, capital of the North Kivu Province in the northeastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).
In a press release, the M23 spoke of a gesture of “goodwill” following the conclusions of the meetings held in Kibumba on December 12 and 22 between the M23, the regional force of the East African Community (EAC), and the ad hoc verification mechanism.
“This gesture of goodwill made in the name of peace is among the recommendations resulting from the Mini Summit of Heads of State held in Luanda, Angola on November 23, 2022. We hope that the government of Kinshasa will seize this opportunity with two hands and will also work to bring peace to our country,” the M23 statement read.
On November 23, a mini-summit in Luanda, the capital of Angola, in which Congolese President Felix Tshisekedi also took part, set a timetable that demanded an immediate ceasefire and above all an ultimatum asking the M23 rebels to leave the occupied areas in order to allow a diplomatic solution to the ongoing crisis.
Since April 2022, the EAC has carried out a two-track approach that includes facilitating inter-Congolese dialogue and deploying a regional force in the eastern DRC to deal with armed groups who refuse to join the dialogue process.
This position of Kibumba, which is seen as the gateway to Goma, will be officially handed over to the EAC regional force. The latter will in turn set up its position in this area, according to the press release from M23.
This announcement comes a few days after the UN Security Council on Tuesday unanimously adopted a resolution to lift notification requirements for arms shipments to the DRC.
Since last month, the M23 rebellion has taken control of several territories northeast of Goma after intense fighting with the Congolese army, which has forced thousands of civilians to seek refuge.
