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E-mail Xinhua, February 16, 2025
ADDIS ABABA, Feb. 16 (Xinhua) -- United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has warned of escalation of conflict in South Kivu Province of the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and other regional security crisis.
Speaking about the current peace and security situations in Africa during the African Union (AU) summit on Saturday in Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia, Guterres said the people of the DRC are suffering from a brutal cycle of violence.
"The fighting that is raging in South Kivu -- as a result of the continuation of the M23 offensive -- threatens to push the entire region over the precipice," said the secretary-general, emphasizing the need for avoiding regional escalation at all costs.
The ongoing conflict between the M23 and the DRC government is deeply rooted in the aftermath of the 1994 Rwandan genocide and long-standing ethnic tensions between the Tutsi and Hutu communities. The DRC accuses Rwanda of supporting the M23, while Rwanda alleges that the DRC army has allied with the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda, a rebel group accused of participating in the genocide against the Tutsi.
"There is no military solution. The deadlock must end, and the dialogue must begin," Guterres said, highlighting that the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the DRC must be respected.
The conclusions of the recent joint summit co-hosted by the East African Community and the Southern African Development Community offered a way forward, with a renewed call for an immediate ceasefire, and new momentum for regional efforts based on the Luanda and Nairobi processes.
Talking on the security crisis in Sudan, Guterres said Sudan has become home to the world's largest ongoing displacement crisis and famine, following ongoing conflict between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces.
"Sudan is being torn apart before our eyes, and now as we near the holy month of Ramadan, it is time for an immediate cessation of hostilities," he said. Enditem
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