Ukraine is following with concern the escalation of hostilities in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo. 

We strongly condemn the violation of the territorial integrity and sovereignty of the DRC and the seizure of settlements in North Kivu province by M23 rebel group. We consider unacceptable the spread of threats to further seize other cities and territories of the DRC, which is a gross violation of the norms and principles of international law and the UN Charter.

The attacks against the forces of the United Nations Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO), which caused the deaths of members of the Mission, are outrageous.

We call on the parties to find ways to cease hostilities, achieve sustainable peace and finally resolve the armed conflict, which has led to irreparable human losses for the Congolese people and the destruction of civilian infrastructure in the DRC.

In this regard, we support international efforts to resolve the conflict in eastern DRC peacefully, in particular within the framework of the Luanda process, which is being mediated by Angola.

Ukraine is ready to actively participate in  providing of humanitarian assistance, in particular in the field of food security, as well as the elimination of the consequences of the armed conflict.

We emphasize the need to stabilize the security situation as soon as possible in order to prevent further regional destabilization and the escalation of the conflict into a full-scale war.