The UN Secretary-General has urged M23 rebels in the Democratic Republic of the Congo to follow through on a cease-fire agreement set to go into effect on Tuesday.
Antonio Guterres has praised regional and international efforts led by Angola’s president and the African Union to end a conflict that has already displaced hundreds of thousands.
Heavy fighting between the Congolese army and the M23 group in North Kivu province has continued in the hours before Angola’s ceasefire takes effect.
The UN Secretary-General has condemned all forms of violence against civilians and urged all armed groups to lay down their weapons and unconditionally disarm.
Mr. Guterres has asked the M23 to honor a pledge to halt hostilities in order to facilitate full and effective withdrawal from areas it has occupied, including some near Goma, the country’s largest city in the east.
In the last year, the ongoing conflict has displaced hundreds of thousands of people, prompting accusations that Rwanda is funding the rebels, which Kigali denies.
