Statement by Permanent Representative Vassily Nebenzia an a UNSC Briefing on the DRC
We thank Jean-Pierre Lacroix, Bintou Keita and Joyce Msuya for their briefings. We welcome the participation in the meeting of Therese Wagner, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), as well as the representatives of Rwanda, Angola, South Africa, Uruguay and Burundi.
Mr. President,
We are extremely dismayed by the current escalation by the M23, and we condemn it. Due to these actions, it is the civilian population that is suffering first and foremost. We express our condolences to the families of the killed citizens of the DRC. We are compelled to witness now another wave of displaced persons. And the number of IDPs, according to the latest UN data, has exceeded 400,000 people. Many of these people were already internally displaced and were living in refugee camps in dire conditions.
We are particularly alarmed by the use in the area of hostilities of advanced weapons systems, as well as by the use of heavy artillery close to civilian infrastructure. We are also concerned about the continued use of electronic warfare means, which poses a threat, inter alia, to civilian aviation.
Unfortunately, the United Nations Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO) is already suffering losses. We express our condolences to the families of the fallen peacekeepers from South Africa and Uruguay and to the Governments of those countries. We wish a speedy recovery to the wounded from other contingents. Russia unconditionally condemns the attacks on the Blue Helmets. One of such attacks killed in March 2022 our fellow citizen Alexei Mizyura, who was a senior member of the group of Russian military observers under MONUSCO. We express our support and gratitude to MONUSCO, its leadership and peacekeepers.
We also express our deepest condolences to the families of the demised warriors of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) from South Africa and Malawi. Russia stands in solidarity with the Governments of those countries and the SADC contingent. We wish a speedy recovery to the wounded.
The current escalation following the breakdown of the Luanda summit late 2024 clearly indicates the price to be paid for the failure to use political instruments.
We call for an immediate cessation of hostilities, and urge Rwanda and the DRC to return to the negotiating table under Angolan mediation, and reaffirm their commitment to mutual obligations under the Luanda Process.
At the same time, we would like to emphasize that real progress on the diplomatic track will be feasible not until the State stops its interaction with illegal armed groups. This applies primarily to the M23 and the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (Forces democratiques de liberation du Rwanda, FDLR). And when it comes to the parameters of this process, it is for Rwanda and the DRC to decide whether these parameters are to be defined within the relaunched Nairobi process or within other initiatives. In any case, it is clear that this issue requires a comprehensive approach and certain flexibility by both sides. Without tackling this issue, it would not be possible to find a sustainable and viable formula for a political settlement of the conflict. And this is something that should be done immediately so that the worst scenario could be averted.
Mr. President,
We must also not forget that the central element of the crisis is the illegal exploitation of Congolese natural resources. It is an open secret what is now happening in the coltan-rich region of Rubaya, which is now under the control of the M23. It is also well known that there are other groups and external “players” involved in this criminal business. We all know very well who they are, and we know that they line their pockets by smuggling “bloody” natural resources from the east of the DRC. We are convinced that the struggle to gain access to strategically important Congolese minerals is one of the reasons for the continuation of the crisis we are witnessing now.
Once again, we call on countries who have political and economic clout in the region to leverage their influence over the main protagonists. This could prompt a swift end to the escalation, as was the case with the situation we dealt with in 2012-2013.
At the same time, along with other members of the Security Council, we will continue working on coordinating an adequate response to the events that are currently taking place in the east of the DRC. We hope that we will be able to find the right language that will help to end the suffering of the civilian population and bring the parties back to negotiations.
Let me emphasize in conclusion that we must not forget that instability in the Great Lakes region is largely a legacy of the colonial period. It was precisely then that the colonial powers of that time laid the ticking time bombs that the region continues to suffer from.
We see how tired the Congolese are of violence and how much they want simply to live and work on their own land. Russia, as a permanent member of the Security Council, will do everything in its power to bring this longed-for moment closer.
Thank you.
