BERLIN – Following an escalation of violence by the Rwanda-backed M23 militia in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Germany’s Federal Government Commissioner for Human Rights Policy and Humanitarian Assistance, Luise Amtsberg, on Thursday called for an immediate cessation of hostilities and a return to negotiations.
“A large proportion of people in the region are already living under difficult humanitarian conditions,” Amtsberg said Thursday. “The advance of the M23 militia, supported by Rwanda, and their presumed capture of the provincial capital, Goma, are causing immeasurable suffering among the civilian population: countless people are fleeing the fighting. Many of them have little or no access to food and water.”
She warned that women and girls in conflict zones are particularly vulnerable to gender-based violence and noted that the situation in and around Goma remains dire, with hundreds of thousands of displaced people once again forced to flee their homes. “Supply routes are cut off. People are no longer able to provide for themselves and their families, and doctors and hospitals can barely function,” Amtsberg added.
Humanitarian aid organizations, already stretched thin, face additional obstacles, including GPS jamming by Rwanda and the M23, which has disrupted aid flights and led to the closure of Goma’s airspace. “We call on the M23 to withdraw. Rwanda must immediately end its support for the M23, and all parties involved must cease hostilities and return to the negotiating table,” she said.
Germany, in cooperation with EU partners, remains committed to stabilizing eastern Congo. As the current Chair of the International Contact Group for the Great Lakes, the German government is advocating for peace and security in the region. “The protection of civilians, humanitarian aid workers, and peacekeepers is mandated under international law and must be respected under all circumstances,” Amtsberg emphasized.
She also strongly condemned recent attacks on embassies and diplomatic personnel, as well as the attack on the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung’s premises in Kinshasa. “Embassies and diplomatic personnel must never be the target of attacks,” she said.
Amtsberg underscored Germany’s support for diplomatic initiatives such as the Luanda and Nairobi Processes, stressing the importance of regional cooperation to end hostilities. “Rwanda must end its presence in the DRC, which violates international law, and cease its support for the M23. The Congolese army must disarm the rebel militia FDLR and be open to inclusive dialogue,” she said.
The ceasefire agreement brokered under the Luanda Peace Process on July 30, 2024, remains crucial, Amtsberg noted. “Only in this way can further suffering be prevented,” she concluded.
