Congo rebels accuse government of undermining peace efforts

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(Reuters) -The Congo River Alliance, a coalition of Congolese insurgent groups that includes the M23 rebels, on Monday accused the government of violating agreements aimed at ending conflict in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.

Fighting in eastern Congo has intensified this year, with the M23 group launching an offensive that allowed it to capture the two largest cities in the region.

“We are obliged to inform the Congolese people and the international community of the successive violations of the ceasefire, which are hindering the principle agreement,” Corneille Nangaa, the leader of the Congo River Alliance (AFC) said at a press conference.

Under a mediation effort hosted by Qatar, Congo and the rebels signed a declaration of principles on July 19 in which they vowed to start negotiating a deal no later than August 8 with the goal of reaching it by August 18.

However, the two sides missed the deadline.

Nangaa accused government forces and allied militias of carrying out attacks in South Kivu in eastern Congo.

The Congolese government did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Nangaa urged Qatari mediators, the African Union and the United Nations to press Kinshasa to honour its commitments, and warned of an “appropriate response” to any new attacks.

In a speech to his coalition on Saturday, Democratic Republic of Congo President Felix Tshisekedi said there would only be “dialogue with Congolese who want to rebuild their country and emerge from the crisis”.

(Reporting by Congo newsroom. Writing by Ayen Deng BiorEditing by Ros Russell)