{"id":120341,"date":"2026-02-23T16:12:26","date_gmt":"2026-02-23T16:12:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/all-news\/congolese-lawyer-questions-mediators-silence-on-attacks"},"modified":"2026-02-23T16:23:42","modified_gmt":"2026-02-23T16:23:42","slug":"congolese-lawyer-questions-mediators-silence-on-attacks","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/policy\/congolese-lawyer-questions-mediators-silence-on-attacks","title":{"rendered":"Congolese Lawyer Questions Mediators&#8217; Silence on Attacks"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"color: #ff6600\"><strong>Africa-Press &#8211; Rwanda. <\/strong><\/span>Congolese lawyer Moise Nyarugabo has criticized regional and international mediators for their silence over renewed large-scale attacks against civilians in South Kivu province, despite a ceasefire that was expected to take effect on February 18.<\/p>\n<p>In a statement posted on X account on February 22, Nyarugabo referred to diplomatic efforts in Luanda that led to the announcement of a ceasefire which Congolese President Felix Tshisekedi agreed to. However, he said the government coalition that is fighting the AFC\/M23 rebels had continued to bomb villages Minembwe.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAfter several trips by Mr. Tshisekedi to Luanda, Angolan President Joa\u0303o Lourenc\u0327o decreed a ceasefire that was to take effect on February 18 at midnight,\u201d Nyarugabo noted.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cCuriously, it was on February 18th, the supposed date of the ceasefire, that the Congolese coalition forces launched massive attacks and bombings on all the villages of Minembwe, creating fires in Karongi and Kalingi, and causing casualties in Ilundu and other villages,\u201d Nyarugabo, who comes from the region, stated.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt seems that the 18th was more of a signal to begin a war of a different scale and widespread massacres.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>After several trips by Mr. Tshisekedi to Luanda, Angolan President Joa\u0303o Lourenc\u0327o decreed a ceasefire that was to take effect on February 18 at midnight.<\/p>\n<p>His remarks follow reports from AFC\/M23 spokesperson Lawrence Kanyuka, who detailed persistent drone strikes and heavy artillery attacks by coalition forces that include the Congolese army (FARDC), Burundian troops (FDNB), Rwandan genocidal militia FDLR, Wazalendo and foreign mercenaries.<\/p>\n<p>In a statement issued Sunday, Kanyuka said that from 4:30 a.m. until around 8pm, the government coalition carried out \u201cattacks of unprecedented violence\u201d against AFC\/M23 positions and densely populated civilian areas including Gatoyi, Gasheke, Murema, Mberwa, Ruki, and Mutobo.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThese assaults continue relentlessly, turning these localities into fields of ruins and spreading death, terror, and despair among our compatriots,\u201d Kanyuka said.<\/p>\n<p>He added that at around 10:00 a.m., the same forces, reinforced by elements of Burundian forces and foreign mercenaries, launched an attack against civilians in Nyaruhinga, Minembwe, causing loss of human lives as hundreds of families were forces to flee.<\/p>\n<p>In this context of continued hostilities and reported civilian suffering, Nyarugabo directed a series of pointed questions to multiple mediators and international actors involved in the peace process, such as the African Union, Qatar, US and regional blocs..<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhy do you remain silent in the face of these horrors, of which you are well aware, the drones and Sukhoi fighter jets that are bombing people daily like nowhere else?\u201d he asked.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd if the situation reversed, would you remain silent? Or would you wake up and start lecturing others on human rights and exerting pressure?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Nyarugabo further questioned whether ceasefire obligations were being applied evenly.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDo ceasefires, pressure, and accountability only apply to one side of the conflict? Tshisekedi and his allies, with their drones and Sukhoi jets, can continue bombing while the others simply have to accept it?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He also emphasized that the escalation followed weeks of military build-up in South Kivu.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSince January 29, several battalions of the FARDC and the FDNB, along with several FDLR, Wazalendo, and mercenaries have invaded Point Zero,\u201d Nyarugabo wrote.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFrom there, they have not only launched hundreds of kamikaze drones daily at villages, indiscriminately dropping bombs and crash on homes, killing and wounding women, children, and the elderly,\u201d he said, the attacks also targeted Rwitsankuku, Bicumbi, Mutunda, Rugezi, Gakenke, Rubemba, and other localities.<\/p>\n<p>Addressing President Evariste Ndayishimiye, Nyarugabo questioned Burundi\u2019s continuous role in the crisis despite his recent assumption of the African Union chairmanship.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cTo the President of Burundi, Ndayishimiye, how do you feel in your dual capacity as Chairperson of the African Union and belligerent? When you are celebrated in Addis Ababa while three of your battalions are in Mulima, at Point Zero, and in Minembwe, shedding the blood of innocent Banyamulenge?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Nyarugabo argued that the crisis cannot be resolved through selective engagement.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cInjustice, partisan positions, and double standards cannot resolve a crisis. If we don&#8217;t listen to both sides of the story, if we don&#8217;t address the root causes, we can&#8217;t resolve anything,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe are only postponing the inevitable consequences of a crisis that remains unresolved.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>For More News And Analysis About <span style=\"color: #ff6600\">Rwanda<\/span> Follow <span style=\"color: #ff6600\">Africa-Press<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Africa-Press &#8211; Rwanda. Congolese lawyer Moise Nyarugabo has criticized regional and international mediators for their silence over renewed large-scale attacks against civilians in South Kivu province, despite a ceasefire that was expected to take effect on February 18. In a statement posted on X account on February 22, Nyarugabo referred to diplomatic efforts in Luanda [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":84,"featured_media":120340,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[24,14],"tags":[6999,731,5103,1523,8313,2542,3644,3520,758],"class_list":["post-120341","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-all-news","category-policy","tag-afc-m23","tag-african-union","tag-banyamulenge","tag-burundi","tag-ceasefire","tag-dr-congo","tag-fardc","tag-fdlr","tag-rwanda"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v26.1 (Yoast SEO v27.0) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Congolese Lawyer Questions Mediators&#039; Silence on Attacks - Rwanda<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Congolese lawyer Moise Nyarugabo has criticized regional and international mediators for their silence over renewed larg ...\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/policy\/congolese-lawyer-questions-mediators-silence-on-attacks\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Congolese Lawyer Questions Mediators&#039; 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