Russia is very concerned that the conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) may escalate with the participation of the illegal armed group M23, Russian Deputy Ambassador to the United Nations Anna Evstigneeva said on Wednesday.
"We are very much concerned by the conflict escalating, with the participation of the M23 illegal armed group," Evstigneeva said during a meeting of the the UN Security Council.
Evtigneeva pointed out that Russia is also concerned about the tense relations between DRC and Rwanda amid the deteriorating situation in the former.
The M23 group, which fights for the interests of the Tutsi ethnic minority in the DRC, rebelled against the government in 2012 but suffered a major military defeat the following year and was disbanded.
In 2021, the M23 accused the DRC authorities of violating agreements to integrate their disarmed fighter into the country's army and took up arms again.
In March of the following year, M23 launched a major offensive in the North Kivu province to gain ground against the DRC military and has kept expanding into additional territories.
The DRC has repeatedly accused Rwanda of supporting the M23 rebels, but Rwanda has denied having any connections with them.