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- DRC President Felix Tshisekedi wants the AU and UN to sanction M23 rebel leaders and Rwandan officials.
- According to Tshisekedi, he can only negotiate with Rwanda and M23 after they leave the DRC; if not, he will fight them to the bitter end.
- A SADC force under South African command is now tasked with helping keep peace in the region.
The Democratic Republic of Congo's (DRC) President, Felix Tshisekedi, has appealed to the United Nations and the African Union to sanction Rwandan leaders and the rebel group M23 that is fighting against government forces in the eastern part of the country.
He declared that he would not "accept any compromise whatsoever that has objectives other than safeguarding the sovereignty, territorial integrity, and stability of the DRC".
Tshisekedi was addressing ambassadors and heads of diplomatic missions and consular posts accredited to the DRC on Tuesday.
He said that for 30 years, the DRC has not known peace in the east, particularly in Kivu.
The solution, he said, includes "targeted sanctions against the Rwandan leaders and those of the M23 terrorist movement who are violating our sovereignty".
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He said that without the targeted sanctions, Rwanda and its allies will persist in their defiance of international stability without fear of repercussions.
Tshisekedi acknowledged the gradual withdrawal of the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the DRC (MONUSCO), which began on 20 December last year.
MONUSCO has been in the DRC since July 2010.
The East African Community (ECOWAS) Standby Force also left the DRC in early December.
They have been replaced by the Southern African Development Community (SADC) Standby Force, under South African command.
"No dialogue can and will be able to take place with Rwanda as long as it occupies DRC territory, whatever the extent of the conflict," Tshisekedi said.
The News24 Africa Desk is supported by the Hanns Seidel Foundation. The stories produced through the Africa Desk and the opinions and statements that may be contained herein do not reflect those of the Hanns Seidel Foundation.
