AFRICA/CONGO DR - The defeat of the M23: a historic victory for the Congolese army

Kinshasa (Agenzia Fides) - The M23 has been defeated: in the course of the night fighters of the main rebel movement in North Kivu (eastern Democratic Republic of Congo), abandoned the last two positions held on the border with Rwanda and Uganda.
The Congolese army can thus celebrate its first real victory since the independence of Country, say experts of the Agence France Press.
A victory which saw the contribution of various factors said a statement sent to Fides by the Peace Network for Congo. Among these are the strong popular pressure, of Civil Society and local authorities on President Kabila and on the UN Mission in the DRC (MONUSCO), in order to embark upon robust military action against the M23, and the reorganization of the Congolese army, thanks to the contribution of Belgium, which allowed to improve the coordination of units engaged against the armed movement; the pressure exerted by the UN and the international community on Rwanda, accused of supporting the M23 at a military level, the crucial logistical support provided by the regular Congolese army and MONUSCO, above all, by the brigade intervention, which was established in 2098 following the resolution of the UN Security Council .
The government of Kinshasa has announced that after the defeat of the M23 there is no more space in the DRC for any other irregular armed group, "whether it is Rwandese FDLR, the LRA and the Ugandan ADF- NALU, the Burundian FNL as well as all other Congolese Mai-Mai factions". (L.M.) (Agenzia Fides 06/11/2013)