UN Chief on DRC - Security Council Media Stakeout | United Nations

Press briefing by UN Secretary-General António Guterres on DRC.

Good morning.

I wanted to say a few words about the deeply concerning situation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

We are at a pivotal moment and it is time to rally together for peace.

Tomorrow, leaders from the East African Community and the Southern African Development Community will take part in a Summit in Tanzania.

The focus will be addressing the crisis in the face of the offensive by the M23, supported by the Rwandan Defence Forces.

Next week, in Addis Ababa, I will take part in a Summit-level meeting of the African Union Peace and Security Council where this crisis will be also front and centre.

In advance of these crucial gatherings, I want to make a special appeal for peace.

Thousands of people have been killed – including women and children – and hundreds of thousands have been forced from their homes in the eastern DRC.

We also see the continued threat by other armed groups, either Congolese or foreign.

All of this is having an enormous human toll.

We have countless reports of human rights abuses, including sexual and gender-based violence, forced recruitment, and the disruption of lifesaving aid.

The humanitarian situation in and around Goma is perilous.

Hundreds of thousands of people are on the move, with many of the previous sites hosting displaced people north of the city now looted, destroyed or abandoned.

Healthcare facilities are overwhelmed.

And other basic services – including schools, water, electricity, phone lines and the internet – are severely limited.

Meanwhile, the conflict continues to rage in South Kivu and risks engulfing the entire region.

I want to pay tribute to all those who have lost their lives, including MONUSCO blue helmets and regional forces.

And I express my solidarity with the Congolese people who find themselves yet again the victims of a seemingly endless cycle of violence.

As the Summit in Tanzania gets underway, and as I prepare to leave for Addis Ababa, my message is clear:

Silence the guns.

Stop the escalation.

Respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Uphold international human rights law and international humanitarian law.

There is no military solution.

It is time for all the signatories of the Peace, Security and Cooperation Framework for the DRC and the region to honour their commitments.

It is time for mediation. It is time to end this crisis. It is time for peace.

The stakes are too high.

We need the active and constructive role of all players -- namely neighbouring countries, subregional organizations, the African Union and the United Nations.

Let us all act together for peace.

Thank you.