A large proportion of people in the region are already living under difficult humanitarian conditions. 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. In areas where fighting is taking place, women and girls are especially frequent victims of gender-based violence. Particularly in and around Goma – where hundreds of thousands of displaced people had previously sought refuge – the situation is disastrous. Once again, they are having 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.

Many people in eastern Congo depend for their survival on the work of humanitarian aid workers. Aid organisations on the ground are operating at the very limits of their capacity – and beyond. Yet they, too, are not spared by the fighting. In addition, even humanitarian aid flights are impacted by GPS jamming carried out by Rwanda and the M23; the airspace over Goma is closed.

We call on the M23 to withdraw. Rwanda must immediately end its support for the M23, and all parties involved must immediately cease hostilities and return to the negotiating table. Together with our partners in the EU and beyond, we are working to stabilise the situation in eastern Congo. As the current Chair of the International Contact Group for the Great Lakes, the Federal Government is committed to achieving stability. The protection of the civilian population, of humanitarian aid workers and of peacekeepers is mandated under international law and must be respected under all circumstances.

It must also be clear that embassies and diplomatic personnel must never be the target of attacks. I condemn these attacks in the strongest possible terms. I also condemn the attack on the premises of the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung in Kinshasa.

There can only be a political solution to the conflict. The Federal Government particularly supports the peace efforts of the Luanda Process under the leadership of Angolan President João Manuel Gonçalves Lourenço, as well as the Nairobi Process. 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 must be open to inclusive dialogue. Only in this way can the ceasefire of 30 July 2024 negotiated under the Luanda Peace Process be upheld and further suffering prevented.