File photo shows M23 rebels in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.
Slow progress in the implementation of an agreement to end violence in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is putting regional peace in jeopardy, officials warn.
In a statement released on Saturday, international envoys raised “concern that while important steps have been made, the overall implementation of the Nairobi declaration remains slow."
The envoys from the African Union, European Union, United Nations and the United States also noted that “lasting peace and stability” would be resorted in eastern DRC “only with sustained and collective efforts.”
The statement comes one year after the DRC's government signed a peace deal with the M23 rebel movement in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi.
The M23 rebels defected from the Congolese Army in April 2012 in protest over alleged mistreatment in the armed forces.
The rebels seized Goma in November 2012 after UN peacekeepers gave up the battle for the main city in eastern DRC. One year later, however, Congolese government forces claimed "total victory" over the rebels in Goma.
The M23 rebels withdrew from the strategic city in December 2013 under the peace accord with the DRC's government.
SSM/BB/HR
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