ACI Africa, Jun 27, 2023 / 12:00 pm
Persistent violence in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and the emergence of new groups of militia are key concerns of the Catholic bishops in the Central African nation.
In a statement issued at the end of their June 19–22 plenary assembly, members of the National Episcopal Conference of Congo (CENCO) stated: “We are witnessing the persistence and worsening of insecurity, especially in the eastern part of our country.”
Security challenges, alongside “the proliferation of armed groups, are of the utmost concern to us,” CENCO members said in their June 22 statement.
They also decried the revival of the March 23 Movement (M23) in the country, saying: “With the resurgence of the M23, supported by Rwanda, part of the national territory has been beyond the control of our armed forces for over a year.”