The UK Special Envoy to the Great Lakes thanks the United Nations Group of Experts on Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) for their final report of their 22/23 mandate, on the situation in DRC. We stand behind the Group of Experts and the critical work they do.
We welcome their comprehensive report and call on all member states to cooperate fully with the Group of Experts. We are concerned by the human rights abuses and the violations of international humanitarian law documented in the report by armed groups including M23, Forces démocratiques de libération du Rwanda (FDLR), Allied Defence Forces (ADF) and Coopérative pour le développement du Congo (CONDECO).
We condemn the external support being given to armed groups. The consequences of the conflict are immediate and severe and are resulting in large scale human displacement and humanitarian suffering.
We call on all parties to the conflict to deliver on their commitments, agreed through the regional Nairobi and Luanda diplomatic peace processes. We believe these processes provide the best means by which to achieve a lasting peace. We call for an immediate de-escalation by all sides and a respect for sovereignty.
The human rights of all Congolese people must be respected and all those who have committed human rights violations and abuses must be held accountable. There is only one way out of this conflict; the violence must stop to give dialogue and peace a chance to succeed and to ensure those who have endured significant suffering have a chance to rebuild their lives.
The UK stands with those who seek a more peaceful future for the region.
