Urgent UN Call for Cessation of Hostilities in Eastern DRC

Urgent UN Call for Cessation of Hostilities in Eastern DRC

On Friday, August 22, 2025, the UN Security Council convened an emergency meeting—prompted by the United States—to address escalating violence in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). At the meeting, Martha Ama Akyaa Pobee, UN Assistant Secretary-General for Africa, called for an immediate and effective cessation of hostilities in the region, stressing that diplomatic progress has not yielded improvements on the ground Radio OkapiUN PressXinhua News.

She urged the Council to fully support ongoing peace efforts and enforce Security Council Resolution 2773, adopted on February 21, 2025, which demands that M23 cease hostilities, halt the establishment of parallel authorities, and calls on Rwanda to end its military aid and withdraw its support—a resolution that underscores the DRC’s sovereignty and territorial integrity

Latest Developments: Diplomacy Versus Military Realities

The situation remains highly volatile:

• The rebel group M23 dispatched a limited delegation to Doha for talks focused narrowly on ceasefire mechanisms and prisoner release—not broader negotiations Xinhua News.

• Despite diplomatic efforts such as the Washington Agreement (June 27) and the Doha Declaration (July 19), conflict continues, with M23 making territorial gains in Masisi, Walikale, Lubero, and Uvira. In Uvira, the capture of the strategic village of Lubumba has heightened fears of potential encirclement Xinhua News.

• The UN reports that over 28 million people across the DRC face acute food insecurity, with 7 million internally displaced amid intensifying violence—including civilian massacres and drone attacks by rebel forces