Brussels 03.02.2025 G7 Foreign Ministers’ Statement on the Escalation of Violence in the Eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo:

On February 1, the #G7 Foreign Ministers issued the G7 Foreign Ministers' Statement on the escalation of violence in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo.https://t.co/AH2pYv7upq#G7Canada #DRC pic.twitter.com/RcVTbRwykb

— MOFA of Japan (@MofaJapan_en) February 2, 2025

https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

“We, the G7 Foreign Ministers of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States of America and the High Representative of the European Union, strongly condemn the Rwanda-backed M23 offensive in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, and in particular, the capture of Minova, Saké and Goma. We urge M23 and the Rwanda Defense Force (RDF) to cease their offensive in all directions. We call for the urgent protection of civilians”.

“We also call for an end to all direct and indirect support to the M23 and all non-state armed groups in the DRC. This offensive constitutes a flagrant disregard for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the DRC. We also condemn M23’s intention to continue expansion into South Kivu”.

“This latest M23 offensive has led to a dramatic increase in displaced civilians in Goma and across eastern DRC, on top of the displacement of hundreds of thousands of people since the start of the M23 offensive in January. We deplore the devastating consequences of the renewed M23 and RDF offensive, worsening already difficult humanitarian conditions”.

“G7 Foreign Ministers call for the rapid, safe and unimpeded passage of humanitarian relief for civilians and reiterate that humanitarian personnel must be provided assurances of safety”.

“We urge all parties to return to the negotiating table and honor their commitments under the Luanda Process. We urge the M23 to withdraw from all controlled areas. We also urge all parties to fully commit to a peaceful and negotiated resolution of the conflict”.

“We reiterate our full support to the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the DRC (MONUSCO) to protect civilians and stabilize the region and call on all parties to respect its mandate”.

“Attacks against peacekeeping personnel are entirely unacceptable. We extend our deepest condolences to the families of the fallen peacekeepers of MONUSCO and the Southern African Development Community Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (SAMIDRC)”.

“We strongly condemn all attacks against diplomatic missions in Kinshasa. We urge the Congolese authorities to take all appropriate steps to protect diplomats and the premises of diplomatic missions, as is their responsibility in accordance with international law”.

Meanwhile Rwandan President Paul Kagame said he didn’t know if his country’s troops were in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), where fighting between the M23 armed group and Congolese soldiers resulted in 900 people slain and thousands injured in recent days.

Much of the international experts believe that Rwanda backs the M23 rebels, who claimed to capture the city of Goma in eastern Congo last week. The UN authorities added that an estimated 3,000 – 4,000 Rwandan soldiers are supervising and supporting M23 fighters in the east of the DRC, outnumbering the rebel group’s forces in the country.
In an exclusive interview with CNN on Monday, February 3, Kagame was asked if there were any Rwandan troops inside the DRC.
“I don’t know,” Kagame said, despite the fact that he is commander-in-chief of the Rwandan Defence Force.
“There are many things I don’t know. But if you want to ask me, is there a problem in Congo that concerns Rwanda? And that Rwanda would do anything to protect itself? I’d say 100%,” he concluded.