Pakistan urged DRC and Rwanda to resume diplomatic discussions and follow last month’s UN Security Council resolution to remove Rwandan-backed M23 rebels from Goma and other DRC areas they control on Thursday.
As the African Union warned of a breakup, columns of M23 insurgents entered another major city in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo in February. South Kivu’s city, Bukavu, had fighters in outlying districts.
After capturing Goma, the capital of North Kivu province, at the end of January, the M23 now controls Lake Kivu after the FARDC barely resisted the metropolis of one million people.
“It is evident that there is no military solution to this conflict,” Pakistan’s permanent representative-designate to the UN, Ambassador Asim Iftikhar Ahmad, said during a debate on the DRC’s deteriorating situation.
“In recent weeks this Council has devoted considerable time and attention to the situation in the Eastern DRC, where M23s military offensive, with external support, has imperiled peace and security, upended innocent civilians’ lives, exacerbated the humanitarian situation, and drastically increased the risk of a wider escalation in the Great Lakes region,” the Pakistani
He urged all sides, including M23, to cooperate with facilitators led by Angolan President Joao Lourenco and former Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta.
“We believe these African-led and facilitated processes provide the appropriate framework for comprehensively addressing the complex historic and ongoing underlying factors, including all sides’ legitimate security concerns.”
Ambassador Ahmad praised the UN stabilisation mission in DR Congo (Monusco) peacekeepers for their work under tough conditions. M23 controls 40% of the territory, limiting their movement.
“These restrictions must be lifted, and those obstructing Monusco or endangering peacekeepers must be held accountable.”
He said the Mission needed to be strengthened and equipped to carry out its present or modified mandate in conjunction with the DRC government.
In conclusion, the Pakistani envoy said the DRC, Rwanda, and the region should show political will and genuine commitment, particularly by implementing UNSC resolutions and African Union Peace and Security Council and sub-regional organization decisions, to establish durable peace and stability.
Monusco chief Bintou Keita briefed the Security Council that armed groups connected with Rwanda-backed M23 rebels in eastern DRC had expanded their authority in North and South Kivu and are targeting more territory.
She worried about the rising violence and displacement since M23 took over Goma and Bukavu last month.
She said these armed groups are grabbing territory and trying to establish a parallel administration, naming a governor and two vice-governors in Bukavu and banking and mining authorities in North Kivu.
Since 2010, Monusco forces have protected people and supported the Congolese government’s fight against several armed groups in the east.
DRC asked Monusco to remove its soldiers from South Kivu in June 2024, but Kinshasa reversed direction and asked the Security Council to prolong its mandate through 2025.
The hardline Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) and the March 23 Movement, which defends Congolese Tutsi exiled from Rwanda and receives Rwandan support, have made considerable inroads despite best efforts.
Keita reported a surge in human rights crimes, including summary executions of over 100 civilians, forced child recruitment, abductions, and forced labor.
She told the Council that enormous relocation, fighting, and escaped inmates and new recruits have increased sexual abuse against women and children.
Charlotte Slente of the Danish Refugee Council briefed member states that displaced girls and boys are traumatized internally. We’ve heard of girls doing survival sex, she said.
Aid workers have documented five-year-old girl rapes, and nearly every child protection case involves sexual violence. From December 2024 to February 2025, 403 grave child rights breaches were confirmed.
CODECO and Zaire armed groups have intensified warfare in Ituri province above North-Kivu, targeting residents near mining zones and agriculture.
At least 100,000 people have been forced from their homes in Djugu, Ituri, since January due to the security situation.
Insecurity, barricades, and the shutdown of Goma and Kavumu airports limit humanitarian access.
Keita noted that the global financial crisis is worsening the issue. Only 8.2% of the 2025 DR Congo Humanitarian Response Plan was financed in March.
She said Monusco is expanding patrols, protecting civilians, and facilitating disarmament negotiations in Ituri despite these challenges.
These led to about 2,200 Zaire fighters surrendering and guns and ammo being taken.
In North Kivu, a new Force Commander has improved collaboration with Congolese forces. M23 barricades and advance notice requirements hinder Monusco’s movement in Goma.
Keita worried about increased hate speech and ethnic targeting of Tutsi and Swahili-speaking Congolese, especially as displaced groups move west into DRC’s vast interior.
She demanded that the government pass laws to combat tribalism, racism, and xenophobia and celebrate diversity.
