Jan. 30 (UPI) — Democratic Republic of Congo President Felix Tshisekedi said on Thursday that his troops are fighting an insurgence by the Rwandan-backed militant group M23 which recently captured swaths of land in the east.
Tshisekedi leveled criticism at the international community for standing idly by as the rebels seized control of the DRC town of Goma and continued their push into the country.
“Your silence and inaction are an affront to the DRC,” Tshisekedi said about the international community in a televised address to his country on Wednesday night.
Up to 4,000 soldiers from Rwanda are supporting the M23 militants, according to the United Nations. The militants and Rwanda soldiers captured key positions in Goma on Wednesday.
Several hospitals have reported that about 100 civilians have been killed and more than 1,000 injured in the latest fighting. Regional heads of the East African Community, including Rwandan President Paul Kagame, have called for peace and a negotiated resolution.
Tshisekedi has rebuffed calls from the East African Community because it wants the DRC to negotiate with the M23. The DRC president said he will only negotiate directly with Rwanda.
Goma, one of the DRC’s largest cities with more than one million people, is an important trading and transportation hub that sits near the DRC-Rwandan border, off the shore of Lake Kivu. East DRC has seen violence for years as militias continue to fight with the central government over control of the mineral-rich territory.
Coltan, a leading material needed for today’s mobile phones, batteries and electric vehicles, is mined in the eastern DRC along with gold and tin.