UN Chief says DR Congo 'territorial integrity must be respected'

UN Chief Antonio Guterres said DR Congo's "territorial integrity" must be respected and regional escalation avoided, after M23 fighters and Rwandan troops seized the eastern provincial capital of Bukavu.

 Antonio Guterres, UN Secretary General  said "In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Congolese people have been suffering, yet again, from a brutal cycle of violence. And the fighting that is raging in South Kivu - as a result of the continuation of the M23 offensive - threatens to push the entire region over the precipice. Regional escalation must be avoided at all costs. There is no military solution. The deadlock must end – the dialogue must begin. And the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the DRC must be respected."  DRC’s president Félix Tshisekedi was absent from the gathering as the M23 advanced through his country’s territory.