KINSHASA, July 23 (Xinhua) -- Uncertainty and a humanitarian crisis loom in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), despite an extended truce until Aug. 3 between the DRC military and the Movement of March 23 (M23) rebellion, which controls nearly 100 villages in the eastern North Kivu province.

Kinshasa accuses M23 of violating the two-week ceasefire.

AN EXTENDED TRUCE

Two days before the end of the initial humanitarian truce that was in force from July 5 to 19, DRC and M23 agreed to a two-week extension to facilitate the voluntary return of displaced persons and ensure humanitarian access to vulnerable populations.

In response, DRC government spokesperson Patrick Muyaya condemned last Thursday, the day before the ceasefire was supposed to end, M23's actions during the humanitarian truce, reiterating that "the government's objective is not just for the truce to be respected, but to achieve peace."

DRC's Foreign Minister Therese Kayikwamba Wagner, speaking at her first press briefing in early July, said the DRC is committed to pursuing diplomatic efforts during and after the humanitarian ceasefire with M23.

She emphasized this ceasefire marks "a path towards peace" in the eastern part of the country, plagued by violence for decades, asserting that protecting the country's population remains "the top priority" of her mandate.

"A truce does not mean that we are not vigilant," Wagner said, stressing that diplomatic efforts aim to find a "lasting solution."

Kinshasa accuses Kigali of supporting M23 rebels, an accusation rejected by Rwanda.

HUMANITARIAN BREAKDOWN

The extension comes as clashes were reported between the DRC military and M23 in the village of Bweremana in Masisi territory, North Kivu, where several bombs dropped during the initial phase of the ceasefire killed civilians, marred by a humanitarian breakdown in camps for internally displaced people across the province.

On July 11, the DRC military accused M23 of violating the ceasefire. It denounced their "legendary belligerent attitude in keeping displaced populations in atrocious conditions by depriving them of access to humanitarian aid."

Long queues form at food distribution points at the Mugunga displaced persons camp near Goma, the capital of North Kivu. After the first 15 days of the ceasefire, displaced persons say they have not received any assistance.

"We heard about the ceasefire but see no importance in it. Despite declaring a ceasefire, M23 continues its attacks. They even kill us during this ceasefire," lamented Birichera Samuel, a father of six displaced since January due to the conflict.

Henry Pacifique Mayala, coordinator of the Kivu Security Barometer, a research institute documenting violence in eastern DRC, stressed the importance of strictly enforcing this measure and imposing sanctions on violators.

"We would allocate more resources to this humanitarian ceasefire, in terms of monitoring. (...) So action must be taken because we've used carrots too much; now we must use the stick," he said.

In Beni, a city located in North Kivu, General Ychaligonza Nduru, deputy chief of General Staff for Operations and Intelligence of the DRC Armed Forces, recently told Xinhua that DRC forces are preparing to reclaim all areas currently occupied by M23 in the coming days.

Military authorities also said that several reinforcements from Kisangani city in Tshopo have arrived in Beni territory, heading towards Lubero territory, where M23 has penetrated.

NEGOTIATIONS ON HOLD

While the international community, including the UN Security Council, calls for a political solution, DRC authorities, through the government spokesperson, once again ruled out negotiations with rebels except within the Luanda process.

"Our objective is to achieve peace, in the meantime, there are diplomatic efforts that must be made, especially within the Luanda process," said Muyaya, the DRC government spokesperson.

This statement echoes the position presented by DRC's foreign minister in her first press appearance in early July. "We remain firm in our position that any discussions will take place within the framework of the Luanda peace process," initiated by Angolan President Joao Lourenco, said Wagner.

"We want a political and lasting solution. We want discussions to take place in Luanda (...) But we want honest and sincere discussions," said Wagner, noting that "many things have happened" since the last Luanda process meeting held in March.

More than 900,000 newly displaced people were reported between January and April 2024, bringing the total number of the displaced to around 7.3 million in the country, including more than 5.6 million in the three eastern provinces, namely North Kivu, South Kivu and Ituri, according to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). Enditem

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