Earth Science News
AFRICA NEWS
US 'strongly condemns' violence in eastern DRCongo
US 'strongly condemns' violence in eastern DRCongo
by AFP Staff Writers
Washington (AFP) Feb 18, 2024

The United States on Saturday deplored growing violence by DR Congo's M23 rebels, saying the group's backers in Rwanda must remove sophisticated ground-to-air missiles that are threatening lives in the country's east.

Fighting has flared in recent days around the town of Sake, 20 kilometers (12 miles) from Goma, between M23 rebels and Congolese government forces.

"The United States strongly condemns the worsening violence in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) caused by the actions of the Rwanda-backed, US- and UN-sanctioned M23 armed group, including its recent incursions into the town of Sake," State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said in a statement.

"This escalation has increased the risk to millions of people... We call on M23 to immediately cease hostilities and withdraw from its current positions around Sake and Goma."

Washington "condemns" Rwandan support for M23 and calls on Kigali "to immediately withdraw all Rwanda Defense Force personnel from the DRC and remove its surface-to-air missile systems, which threaten the lives of civilians, UN and other regional peacekeepers, humanitarian actors, and commercial flights in eastern DRC," Miller said.

Dozens of soldiers and civilians have reportedly been killed or wounded in the fighting over the last 10 days.

The latest clashes have pushed tens of thousands of civilians to flee towards Goma, which stands between Lake Kivu and the Rwandan border and is practically cut off from the country's interior.

The DRC, the United Nations and Western countries say Rwanda is supporting the rebels in a bid to control vast mineral resources, an allegation Kigali denies.

UN forces have been in the DRC for nearly 25 years but stand accused of failing to protect civilians from armed groups.

Related Links
Africa News - Resources, Health, Food

Subscribe Free To Our Daily Newsletters
Tweet

RELATED CONTENT
The following news reports may link to other Space Media Network websites.
AFRICA NEWS
EU 'regrets' Mali scrapping peace deal with separatists
Brussels (AFP) Jan 29, 2024
The EU said Monday it "regrets" Mali's military rulers deciding to scrap a 2015 peace deal with separatist groups and warned regional instability could ensue. "The European Union regrets the decision taken by the transition authorities to put an end to the peace accord signed in Algiers in 2015," said a statement from the office of EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell. Civilians in northern Mali "will be the first to suffer the consequences", it warned, adding: "The negative impact of this rupt ... read more

AFRICA NEWS
EU CO2 rules boost farmers, annoy environment activists

Singapore engineer pivots from oil rigs to 'fish farm of the future'

Livestock insurance offers hope to drought-hit Somalis

China agrees to lift ban on Spanish beef imports

AFRICA NEWS
Tuvalu to elect PM on Monday, four weeks after elections

Rampant water pollution threatens Iraq's shrinking rivers

NGOs urge Greece to scrap coastline reform: statement

'You can't imagine the damage': Dam threatens historic Laos town

AFRICA NEWS
Lack of rain leaves Italy gasping

Winter drought grips southern Europe, northern Africa

China may miss all key climate targets for 2025: report

Activists may escape prosecution over Mona Lisa soup attack

AFRICA NEWS
Russian invasion catalyst for renewables in Ukraine: minister

Activist fund urges BP to hit brakes on green energy

EagleView's Geospatial Data Transforms Solar Industry with Rapid, Detailed Bidding

Revolution in low-light imaging with integrated photovoltaic and photodetector organic device

AFRICA NEWS
Watching the enzymes that convert plant fiber into simple sugars

Greenhouse gas repurposed in University of Auckland experiments

Inexpensive, carbon-neutral biofuels are finally possible

Microbial division of labor produces higher biofuel yields

AFRICA NEWS
Turkish gold mine stripped of licence after landslide

Long winter for Morocco quake survivors

Two dead after cargo ship hits bridge in southern China

Ancient Antioch turns into container city year after quake

AFRICA NEWS
UK to quit 'outdated' fossil fuel friendly treaty

Climate change trial against Italian energy giant Eni opens

Europe's gas demand at 10-year low, to peak in 2025: report

British navy ship repels Huthi rebel attack: minister

AFRICA NEWS
Attacked ship catches fire in Gulf of Aden near Yemen

Youth appetite for gold rises as Chinese economy loses lustre

China shares end higher as central bank cuts key rate

Huthi missile attack damages British-owned ship off Yemen

Subscribe Free To Our Daily Newsletters




The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2024 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. All articles labeled "by Staff Writers" include reports supplied to Space Media Network by industry news wires, PR agencies, corporate press officers and the like. Such articles are individually curated and edited by Space Media Network staff on the basis of the report's information value to our industry and professional readership. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Statement Our advertisers use various cookies and the like to deliver the best ad banner available at one time. All network advertising suppliers have GDPR policies (Legitimate Interest) that conform with EU regulations for data collection. By using our websites you consent to cookie based advertising. If you do not agree with this then you must stop using the websites from May 25, 2018. Privacy Statement. Additional information can be found here at About Us.