Corneille Nangaa Responds to UN Sanctions, Explains Their Motive and Reaffirms AFC/M23’s Commitment to Continue Its Campaign
MINEMBWE CAPITAL NEWS (MCN)
Corneille Nangaa, the Coordinator of the Alliance Fleuve Congo (AFC/M23) coalition, has described the latest sanctions imposed on him by the United Nations Security Council as “politically motivated,” insisting that they will not alter what he says is the movement’s mission to protect communities that have long faced violence and persecution.
Nangaa, the former President of the Independent National Electoral Commission (CENI) of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, said he does not attach significant importance to the new measures, which include an asset freeze and a travel ban. He argued that they are similar to sanctions previously imposed on him by the United States and the European Union (EU).
He stated that the sanctions are “politically motivated” and maintained that they would not prevent AFC/M23 from continuing its activities. He compared them to what he described as harsher measures previously taken against him by the government in Kinshasa, arguing that none of them would stop what he called “a struggle for survival.”
Corneille Nangaa further affirmed that AFC/M23 will continue its military operations, emphasizing that the movement has no intention of ending its campaign until, according to him, the communities it claims to defend achieve lasting peace and security.
He added that their struggle is intended to protect people whom he says have endured years of persecution under the government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. According to Nangaa, the UN sanctions will not prevent AFC/M23 from continuing its activities in North Kivu, South Kivu, and other parts of the DRC.
The new UN sanctions come at a time when the security situation in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo continues to deteriorate, with ongoing fighting between AFC/M23 and the Congolese armed forces (FARDC) and their allies, including Burundian forces, Wazalendo militias, and the FDLR.
The continued hostilities have further displaced civilians, forcing thousands to flee their homes while deepening the humanitarian crisis across the region.
Nangaa concluded by calling for the crisis in eastern DRC to be resolved through a political process. However, he reiterated that AFC/M23 will continue what he described as its campaign to protect civilians until a lasting solution is achieved.
