The EU remains deeply concerned by the deterioration of the situation in the East of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). Following on from its statement of 31 December 2022, and in line with the United Nations Security Council press statement of 3 February 2023, the EU reiterates its full support for the Luanda and Nairobi processes and calls on all parties to swiftly implement all the commitments made in this context.

The lack of implementation of the commitments and decisions taken by the various parties, and the continuation of the fighting especially around Goma, are aggravating a disastrous humanitarian situation. In accordance with ongoing regional processes and in particular the principles reaffirmed at the East African Community (EAC) Summit held in Bujumbura on 4 February 2023, the EU once again urges all armed groups to lay down their arms, to withdraw from the positions they occupy and to take part in the disarmament, demobilisation and reintegration processes. The EU condemns their violent actions. It urges Rwanda to cease its support to the M23, and to use all means to put pressure on the M23 so that it withdraws from the occupied areas, as provided for in the plan agreed between the Chiefs of Staff of the EAC on 9 February in Nairobi. The EU also urges the DRC to cease all cooperation between the FARDC and armed groups, in particular the FDLR.

The EU encourages the rapid deployment of the EAC regional force and the pursuit of an inclusive dialogue. The EU strongly condemns the repeated attacks targeting civilians carried out in particular by the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) and the Cooperative for the Development of the Congo (CODECO) in North Kivu and Ituri.

The EU once again condemns in the strongest terms xenophobia, hate speech, including by politicians, and incitement to violence against any person or group on the grounds of their race or ethnic origin. It demands that this stop. It associates itself with the statements of November 30, 2022 and January 24, 2023 of the United Nations Special Adviser on the Prevention of Genocide.

The EU is also concerned about rising tensions between the DRC and Rwanda, in particular following the incident between a DRC military aircraft and the Rwandan Defence Forces on 24 January 2023 at the border between the two countries. It calls for calm, restraint and dialogue, and recommends that the parties involved use existing regional mechanisms to clarify the facts and establish responsibilities. The EU reaffirms its support for MONUSCO and condemns the recent attacks against it. The EU reiterates its attachment to the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all countries in the region.

The EU remains committed and ready to support the stabilisation and sustainable development of Eastern DRC and the region as a whole, on the basis of its new strategy for the Great Lakes which it will adopt in the days to come. With this strategy, the EU intends to strengthen its action in a positive and concrete way in the region by deploying all its instruments.