Ex-M23 rebels in DR Congo agree to form political party
Xinhua, June 2, 2016 Adjust font size:
The Democratic Republic of Congo (DR Congo) government has officially agreed to recognize ex-rebel movement, March 23 (M23), as a political party dubbed Alliance for the Salvation of People (ASP), an official source said Wednesday.
The party's registration was certified through a ministerial order signed on May 30, 2016 by Interior Minister Evariste Boshab.
"The word M23 should now disappear. Henceforth, we should be considered as civilians engaging with DR Congo government in discussions about the Addis Ababa agreement," one of the founders of ASP, Moise Tshokwe, said.
"The government will now be dealing with a civilian organization in all negotiations," he said.
"Our political party will continue to exist in a transition arrangement with President Joseph Kabila. We should not forget that Kabila has a majority in DR Congo and his presence is inevitable in a three-year transition for organization of peaceful elections," ASP leader Jean-Marie Runiga said.
M23 was a group created following a war that broke out in eastern DR Congo. It was comprised of soldiers of the National Congress for the Defense of People who had been integrated in the national army following a peace agreement signed on March 23, 2009 with the Kinshasa government. However, its members mutineered in April 2012, arguing that the government did not respect modalities of the agreement. Endit