World

M23 rebels want Congo to agree to cease-fire

KAMPALA, Uganda (AP) — A top official with a rebel group in Congo says the group is demanding a cease-fire with the Congolese army, but says it will continue with peace talks without one.

Francois Rucogoza, the executive secretary of the rebel group M23, said Tuesday at a news conference in Uganda that the government of Congo won't sign a cease-fire. M23 says it is currently honoring a unilateral cease-fire as evidenced by the rebels' withdrawal from the city of Goma in November. M23 is believed to be backed by Rwanda but Rwanda denies the allegation.

M23 is made up of hundreds of soldiers who deserted the Congolese army in April after accusing the Congolese government of failing to honor the terms of a 2009 peace deal that integrated them into the national army.

Related Headlines

  • Despite peace accord, eastern Congo still on edge

    Despite the signing of a Congo peace accord on Sunday, this Central African country remains unsettled by signs of a return to war. The peace agreement, signed in Ethiopia by ... 

  • Ban Ki-Moon, Jim Yong Kim

    UN chief visits Goma, Congo

    United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon stressed Thursday that security must go hand-in-hand with development in Congo's troubled eastern city of Goma, arriving just ... 

  • Francois Rucogoza

    Congo rebels return to peace talks

    Peace talks with rebels in eastern Congo should end with the disbandment of the M23 rebel movement, Congo's foreign minister said Tuesday, declaring it a criminally-minded ... 

  • Congo war stems from minerals, ethnic animosity

    The resurgent conflict in the vast African nation of Congo involves several armed groups, at least two other countries and the minerals that go into handhelds and laptops, ... 

Find your future job here