Luanda — The Government of the Republic of Angola strongly condemns the escalation of violence in the neighboring Democratic Republic of Congo, which endangers the regional security, peace and stability, particularly in the Great Lakes region, which are indispensables for the solution of social, political and economic problems.

The standing is expressed in a press release issued by the Executive, on Wednesday, in Luanda, which said that the Government of the Republic of Angola has been following up with great concern the development of the situation in Eastern region of Angola's northern neighbor, particularly in North Kivu where rebel forces, designated the M23, have just occupied the city of Goma.

It considers that such actions of a military nature are incompatible with the principle of peaceful resolution of conflicts, especially in view that the DRC recently held democratic elections, whose results were recognized by the entire international community.

The communiqué reaffirms that the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the DRC must be respected and preserved, and it appeals to international bodies, especially the Peace and Security Council of the African Union and the Security Council of the United Nations to take the appropriate measures to stop the onslaught of belligerent rebel forces, in order to restore a climate that is conducive to solving the alleged problems that are at the root of the current armed conflict.