The United Nations (UN) Security Council, for the first time, has called on Rwanda Defence Forces to stop supporting M23 rebels in eastern DR Congo.

The critical UN body on Friday, February 21 adopted a resolution that strongly condemned the ongoing offensive and advance of M23 rebels in the region, calling on Rwanda to immediately withdraw from Congolese territory “without preconditions”.

The Council reiterated its urgent appeal for all parties to conclude an immediate and unconditional ceasefire, as called for by leaders from East and Southern Africa.

They Council also strongly urged the DRC and Rwanda “to return without preconditions to diplomatic talks as a matter of urgency to achieve a lasting and peaceful resolution of the protracted conflict in the region.”

“This delivers a clear message: there is no military solution to the conflict in the east of the DRC,” Ambassador Nicolas de Rivière, the Permanent Representative of France to the UN in New York, who submitted the resolution, said. “The offensive carried out by the M23 supported by Rwanda must be put to an end.”

Attacks against civilians

The resolution further condemned all attacks directed against civilians and infrastructure, including UN, humanitarian and medical personnel, summary executions and maiming, sexual and gender-based violence, human trafficking and the recruitment and use of children.

The situation in eastern DRC has deteriorated since January 2025 as M23 fighters advanced across North and South Kivu provinces.

M23 have since captured eastern DRC capital Goma, and the second city, Bukavu.

According to the UN, the recent fighting has led to the exodus of more than 50,000 Congolese to Burundi, Uganda and other countries.

EU summons Rwanda

This comes after the European Union (EU) on Friday summoned the Rwandan Ambassador to the EU due to the country’s participation in the ongoing offensive in the eastern DRC.

Likewise, the EU demanded that Rwanda immediately withdraw all troops from the Congolese territory and cease support for M23 and other armed groups. Rwanda and other parties involved in the conflict were also urged to halt hostilities and resume dialogue.

Earlier in the week, Rwanda had announced that it was suspending its development cooperation with Belgium, accusing it of leading efforts to block Kigali’s access to international development financing.

In a statement on Tuesday, Rwanda’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs accused Belgium of siding with the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) in the ongoing DRC conflict, adding that the European nation is politicizing the matter and stifling development grants.