The leadership of M23 rebel movement has agreed to respect and cooperate with the East African Regional force by continuing with an orderly withdrawal and to adhere to the strict cease-fire.
This was announced in a communique issued on Thursday by the EAC secretariat after the M23 leadership met with Former President of Kenya Uhuru Kenyatta in his capacity as the facilitator of the EAC led-Nairobi Process on restoration of peace in Eastern DRC.
The M23 leadership urged President Kenyatta to assist in assuring that there is safety in the DRC and that citizen rights are upheld and recognised and that all the local and foreign armed groups fighting in eastern DRC also lady down their arms, cease any fighting or attacks on the M23 and seek resolution of the conflict through peaceful means.
According to the two-page communique, the M23 leadership acknowledged with appreciation that the Nairobi IV consultations expected to commence in February 2023, will directly seek to consolidate all the considerable gains of the last few months and assist in bringing greater peace and stability to eastern DRC.
However, the rebels appealed for an end to the hate speech to which the facilitator accepted to get personally involved in curbing the use of inflammatory language that could jeopardise the peace process.
