UN mulls sanctions against more DRC rebels
2012-11-29 08:00
Stop suppport for DRC rebels - UN
Goma - Congolese rebels have made no major moves to withdraw from the key city of Goma, the United Nations has said, issuing a new call for foreign countries to stop meddling in the volatile region.
The UN Security Council passed a French-drafted resolution on Wednesday saying it would consider sanctions against more M23 rebel leaders and "those providing external support", though it did not name any country.
This stance has been echoed by the United States, with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton making some of her toughest comments yet on the crisis, calling on the region's leaders to withdraw backing for the rebels.
The M23 rebel group - army mutineers whose rampant advance through eastern Democratic Republic of Congo has raised fears of wider conflict and humanitarian catastrophe - have pledged to leave Goma by the end of the week, presenting the government with a list of demands in return.
But while the rebels say they have already begun withdrawing, deputy UN spokesperson Eduardo del Buey said on Wednesday that the local UN mission in DRC "reports that there has not yet been any major movement by M23 out of Goma".
There were however "signs that the M23 are preparing to withdraw" in line with a deal brokered by African army chiefs, he said.
Residents had earlier said dozens of trucks carrying food and ammunition had left the North Kivu province capital.
Goma is the main city in the eastern Kivu region abutting Rwanda and Uganda, and has been the flashpoint for two past wars fought largely over control of its vast mineral wealth, including copper, diamonds, gold and the key mobile phone component coltan.
Rwanda and Uganda played active roles in back-to-back conflicts from 1996 to 2003, and the UN has accused them of supporting the M23 - a charge both countries deny.
The UN on Wednesday repeated its call for an end to foreign interference, backing it up with the threat of sanctions as demanded by the DRC government.
