Bemba: Monusco, DRC army fighting M23 rebels

The UN peacekeeping mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), commonly known as Monusco, and Congolese military are fighting the M23 rebels in the eastern region of the country, despite its withdrawal process already underway, said Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Defence Jean-Pierre Bemba on Tuesday.

Bemba made the remarks in Goma, the capital of the Eastern North Kivu Province, where tensions have been on the rise with intensive fighting between the Armed Forces of the DRC (FARDC) and the M23 rebels in the city of Sake and its surroundings, about 23 km to the northwest of Goma.

"I wanted to reassure our population that Monusco is in operations with us on the ground. Its soldiers are fighting alongside the FARDC. I say it and I attest to it and moreover, I take this opportunity to congratulate this remarkable work that this mission is doing by our side," said Bemba after a meeting held at the command center in Goma to evaluate joint operations.

For the Congolese deputy prime minister, the clarification aims, in particular, to set the record straight that, contrary to the recently circulating rumors, the Monusco and the M23 were complicit.

On Monday, high tension was reported in Sake, as the population attacked the Monusco peacekeepers who wanted to support the FARDC in the fight against the M23.

Sake is considered the last barrier before Goma, which fell to the rebels in late 2012.

Bemba also assured that everything is being done by the central government to fight the M23 rebels and put an end to this war situation which threatens the integrity of the DRC.

The security situation remains volatile around Goma, due to ongoing fighting between the FARDC and the M23 rebels, as the latter has launched multiple offensives since last week.

Hundreds of people fled Sake overnight late Monday to find refuge on the road leading to Goma, Xinhua correspondents observed on the ground.

In November 2023, Monusco and the FARDC launched the so-called "Springbok" operation to stop any attempt by the M23 to invade Sake or Goma.

The process of withdrawal of Monusco, present in the DRC since 1999 and still deployed in three troubled eastern provinces -- Ituri, North Kivu, and South Kivu -- was put in motion, at the request of Kinshasa who judges the UN peacekeeping mission ineffective against armed groups, notably the M23.

The disengagement of Monusco is taking place in three phases, starting with a complete withdrawal of Monusco military and police components from South Kivu by April 30, 2024, according to a statement issued in January 2024, published jointly by the Congolese government and Monusco.

The second and third phases of the mission's withdrawal provide for a withdrawal from North Kivu and Ituri, with an in-depth assessment between the two, so that Monusco will definitively leave the DRC in later at the end of 2024", read the statement.