Earlier, the head of the UN Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Bintou Keita, said that rebels from the M23 group and the Rwandan military had invaded the suburbs of the capital of North Kivu province, Goma, in DR Congo. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called on Rwanda to withdraw its troops from DR Congo.
According to the report, the unnamed rebel leader also added that the DRC government troops must surrender by 03:00 local time (02:00 GMT).
In July 2022, after the M23 militants became active in the eastern part of the DRC, a summit was held in Angola. The DRC accused Rwanda of supporting the rebels, while the Rwandan side denied any connection with the group. Both countries accused each other of shelling border areas.
At the summit, DRC President Felix Tshisekedi and his Rwandan counterpart, Paul Kagame, agreed to de-escalate relations between the countries. According to a statement from the DRC president's office, a roadmap provided for an immediate cessation of hostilities and an immediate and unconditional withdrawal of M23 militants from positions in the DRC. However, the M23 rebels said they did not consider themselves obligated to comply with the roadmap.