This call was made in a statement released on Monday, January 6, 2025, addressing the ongoing conflict in eastern DRC. It reads, 'The European Union calls on the Democratic Republic of Congo to end its collaboration with the FDLR and other armed groups.'
The FDLR is a militia group operating in eastern DRC, predominantly composed of remnants of perpetrators of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi. The DRC has, on various occasions, collaborated with this group, particularly in its fight against M23.
Leaders of the DRC have often defended the FDLR. For instance, in July 2024, Julien Paluku Kahongya, the former Governor of North Kivu, claimed that the FDLR consisted of elderly members, some as old as 70, in an attempt to downplay their capacity to pose a security threat.
In its statement, the EU also condemned M23's capture of Masisi and surrounding areas in North Kivu, asserting that such actions undermine the efforts toward peaceful resolution in the region. The EU called on M23 to withdraw from the territories it has seized and to adhere to the established ceasefire truce.
While the EU issued this call, M23 has repeatedly claimed to honor ceasefire agreements but accuses the Congolese Armed Forces (FARDC), allied with groups such as the FDLR, of provocation. These provocations have often led M23 to push back and reclaim territories held by FARDC and its allies.
'There is need for all parties halting hostilities and urgently implementing the resolutions agreed upon in the Luanda talks,' the EU said.
The call comes amidst intensifying clashes between M23 and the Congolese Armed Forces coalition. These battles have resulted in M23 taking control of more areas, including Masisi and Katale, a former stronghold of the FDLR militia.
IGIHE
