UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is "deeply concerned" by the escalating violence in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), his spokesman said Sunday.
Guterres also "reiterates his strongest condemnation" of the M23 armed group's ongoing offensive and advances towards the city of Goma in North Kivu with the support of the Rwanda Defense Forces, Stephane Dujarric said in a statement.
In the last 48 hours, Dujarric said two UN Organization Stabilization Mission in Congo (MONUSCO) peacekeepers from South Africa and one peacekeeper from Uruguay were killed while implementing the mandate entrusted upon them by the Security Council.
He added that 11 peacekeepers had sustained injuries and are being treated in the UN hospital in Goma.
Guterres voiced his "deepest condolences" to the families of the fallen peacekeepers as well as to their governments and the people of South Africa and Uruguay, and wishes a swift recovery to the injured, Dujarric said.
"He pays tribute to the bravery of all the United Nations peacekeepers while implementing their mandate to protect civilians and defend them against armed group violence, in coordination with the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (FARDC) and the Southern African Development Community Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (SAMIDRC)," he added.
Reminding all parties to the conflict of their obligations under international humanitarian law, Guterres said the attacks on UN personnel may constitute a war crime.
"He calls on the appropriate authorities to investigate this incident and swiftly bring those responsible to justice," Dujarric said.
Reiterating his call to respect a ceasefire agreement, Guterres called on the M23 to "immediately cease all hostile actions and withdraw from occupied areas."
"He further calls on the Rwanda Defence Forces to cease support to the M23 and withdraw from DRC territory," he said, reaffirming UN support for the Luanda process and calling for an "immediate resumption" of negotiations in this framework.
Spiraling violence and killings in eastern Congo triggered an emergency Security Council meeting Sunday morning on the heels of a UN mission temporarily relocating non-essential staff from the area.
