عربي English Türkçe اردو فارسى
Logo
Latest News
World

UN Warns Congo’s M23 Conflict Could Spark Regional War 

A pick up truck of the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of Congo (FARDC) patrols in Goma, on January 23, 2025. (AFP)
A pick up truck of the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of Congo (FARDC) patrols in Goma, on January 23, 2025. (AFP)
TT
TT

UN Warns Congo’s M23 Conflict Could Spark Regional War 

A pick up truck of the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of Congo (FARDC) patrols in Goma, on January 23, 2025. (AFP)
A pick up truck of the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of Congo (FARDC) patrols in Goma, on January 23, 2025. (AFP)

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has warned that eastern Congo's M23 conflict risks spiraling into a broader regional war, his spokesperson said in a statement, condemning the rebels' capture of another strategic town, Sake.

Fighting has flared more fiercely in Democratic Republic of Congo's mineral-rich east since the start of the year as the Tutsi-led M23 group seized control of more territory than ever before, prompting thousands more people to flee their homes.

Congo and the United Nations accuse neighboring Rwanda of fueling the three-year M23 insurgency with its own troops and weapons. Rwanda denies this.

"This offensive has a devastating toll on the civilian population and heightened the risk of a broader regional war," UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said on Thursday.

The Secretary-General "calls on all actors to respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and to put an end to all forms of support to armed groups," Dujarric said.

After seizing the town of Minova on Tuesday, M23 fighters have continued their advance, moving into the town of Sake, around 20 km (12 miles) from the provincial capital Goma, the largest city in eastern Congo.

The national army spokesman did not respond to requests for comment about the situation in Sake on Thursday, but the UN statement condemned "the recent seizure of Sake, which increases the threat to the town of Goma".

The M23 briefly managed to take over Goma during a previous rebellion in 2012, prompting international donors to cut aid to Rwanda. Even then, the rebels did not hold as much ground as they do now.

Most Viewed

 
 
World

US Top Diplomat Rubio, China’s Wang Speak in First Phone Call, China Says

Newly confirmed US Secretary of State Marco Rubio speaks next to his wife Jeanette Dousdebes Rubio at the State Department in Washington, US, January 21, 2025. (Reuters)
Newly confirmed US Secretary of State Marco Rubio speaks next to his wife Jeanette Dousdebes Rubio at the State Department in Washington, US, January 21, 2025. (Reuters)
TT
TT

US Top Diplomat Rubio, China’s Wang Speak in First Phone Call, China Says

Newly confirmed US Secretary of State Marco Rubio speaks next to his wife Jeanette Dousdebes Rubio at the State Department in Washington, US, January 21, 2025. (Reuters)
Newly confirmed US Secretary of State Marco Rubio speaks next to his wife Jeanette Dousdebes Rubio at the State Department in Washington, US, January 21, 2025. (Reuters)

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke with China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi by phone on Friday, China's foreign ministry said, the first call between the two top diplomats since President Donald Trump's administration took office on Monday.

The call is the first publicly disclosed contact between an official in the second Trump administration and a Chinese counterpart.

According to a Chinese foreign ministry readout of the call, the two discussed US-China relations and Taiwan.

Wang told Rubio, a known China hawk, "I hope you would conduct yourself well and play a constructive role in the future of the Chinese and American people and in world peace and stability," according to the readout.

In his Senate confirmation hearing last week Rubio labeled China as the gravest threat facing the United States.

The US State Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the talks, which come days after Trump said on Wednesday he was considering a 10% duty on Chinese imports because of Beijing’s role in the fentanyl trade.

On Thursday, at a speech to the World Economic Forum, Trump said he was expecting to do "very well" and to get along with China, but his inner circle including Rubio have different views on how to deal with China.

Last week, Xi and Trump agreed on a phone call ahead of the latter's inauguration for a second term, to create a strategic communication channel on "major issues."

During his first term, Trump quickly struck up a relationship with Xi and both men lavishly hosted each other in Florida and Beijing. But that did not stop ties deteriorating into a trade war that unleashed a series of tit-for-tat tariffs and uprooted global supply chains.

According to China's Foreign Ministry, Wang told Rubio that heads of state and China had "pointed out the direction and established the tone for China-US relations."

"The teams of both sides should implement the important consensus of the two heads of state, maintain communication, manage differences, expand cooperation, promote the stable, healthy and sustainable development of China-US relations, and find the right way for China and the United States to get along in the new era."

Wang also said that China has "no intention of surpassing or replacing anyone, but we must defend our legitimate right to development."

On Taiwan, he said that the island Taiwan has been part of China's territory since ancient times and China would never allow it to be separated from China.

"The United States has made a solemn commitment to pursue the one-China policy in the three Sino-US joint communiques and must not break its promise," Wang said.

"A major power should behave like a major power, should assume its due international responsibilities, should maintain world peace, and should help all countries achieve common development," he added, echoing statements US officials have made about China.