The UN peacekeeping operation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has criticized an onslaught by M23 rebels in the country’s east that drove 450 people, including women and children, to seek sanctuary around its Kitshanga base.
“The M23 must cease all hostility and withdraw from occupied areas, in accordance with the roadmap set out in the Luanda mini-summit,” the mission, known by its acronym MONUSCO, said on Twitter on Thursday.
The Kitshanga campaign is a fresh offensive by rebels who have seized regions of eastern DRC’s North Kivu province in a quick blitz that has targeted the provincial capital, Goma, since May.
The armed insurrection has heightened regional tensions, with the Democratic Republic of the Congo accusing neighbor Rwanda of supporting and funding the Tutsi-led rebellion. The United Nations and the European Union have accused Rwanda of supporting the M23.
Rwanda’s government has denied any participation.
In November, regional authorities reached an agreement under which the rebels were to withdraw from recently gained areas by January 15 as part of efforts to stop the violence, which has displaced at least 450,000 people.
However, according to a UN internal investigation, the rebels were violating the ceasefire.
According to two witnesses who fled Kitshanga and joined the horde of refugees at the MONUSCO outpost, the rebels had taken control of the town.
The DRC government and army spokesman did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
In a statement, the M23 stated that it was obligated to intervene to safeguard Tutsis in Kitshanga and other regions.