(Reuters) – A humanitarian ceasefire in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo has been extended by 15 days until 11:59 p.m. local time on Aug. 3, the White House said on Wednesday, amid efforts to end conflict between government forces and Rwandan-backed M23 rebels.
The North Kivu province has been struggling with the M23 insurgency and other militia violence for more than two years.
Congo, the United Nations and Western powers have repeatedly accused Rwanda of supporting M23 with its own troops and weapons, which the country denies.
Rwanda accuses Congo of financing and fighting alongside a Hutu rebel group, the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR), which has attacked Tutsis in both countries.
M23 says it is fighting to protect the Tutsis from rivals such as the FDLR, which includes extremist Hutus who fled to Congo after taking part in the 1994 genocide against Tutsis and moderate Hutus in Rwanda.
“We are committed to working with the governments of the DRC, Rwanda and Angola to use this extension of the ceasefire to outline a series of steps to achieve a lasting cessation of hostilities…,” White House National Security Council spokesperson Adrienne Watson said in a statement.
(Reporting by Costas Pitas; Editing by Eric Beech)
