M23 rebels agree to continue ‘orderly withdrawal’ – Kenyatta

By AFP

M23 rebels have agreed to continue an “orderly withdrawal” from conquered territory in the restive east of the Democratic Republic of Congo, Kenya’s former president Uhuru Kenyatta said Thursday.

Kenyatta met M23 leaders in his role as mediator in the conflict on behalf of the seven-nation East African Community regional bloc, according to a statement from his office.

The Tutsi-led M23 has captured swathes of territory in North Kivu province in recent months and advanced towards its capital Goma.

But under heavy international pressure, it pledged to retreat and last Friday it gave back a key Congolese army base just 40 kilometres (25 miles) north of Goma.

“In demonstration of goodwill and the willingness to work towards the settlement of the situation in North Kivu, the leaders of the M23 agreed to continue with an orderly withdrawal and to adhere to a strict ceasefire,” Kenyatta said in the statement after the meeting in the Kenyan coastal city of Mombasa. Read more