President João Lourenço Expresses Concern Over M23

His Excellency João Manuel Gonçalves Lourenço, President of the Republic of Angola and Facilitator of the Peace Process in the Great Lakes Region concerning the conflict between the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Rwanda, expresses his deep concern over the serious deterioration of the peace and security situation in eastern DRC, particularly in the provinces of North Kivu and South Kivu. The resurgence of actions and attacks carried out by the March 23 Movement (M23), as well as the recent illegal occupation of the territories and towns of Sake and Minova, reflects a dangerous escalation of the conflict, with serious implications for the already fragile humanitarian situation, particularly around the city of Goma, which is now under siege. His Excellency João Manuel Gonçalves Lourenço strongly condemns and firmly repudiates these irresponsible actions by the M23 and its supporters, which jeopardise all the efforts and progress achieved under the Luanda Process towards a peaceful resolution of the conflict, and deplores their harmful consequences for regional security. The Republic of Angola calls on the parties to the conflict to respect human rights, protect civilians, and safeguard the integrity and security of the personnel of the Reinforced Ad Hoc Verification Mechanism (MAVR), deployed in Goma, North Kivu, as part of the facilitation efforts. His Excellency João Manuel Gonçalves Lourenço reiterates that the conflict and security challenges in eastern DRC have no military solution and therefore urges the parties to return immediately to the negotiating table.