Congolese President Felix Zisekedi and his Rwandan counterpart Paul Kagame met in Doha on Tuesday.
The African Union (AU) has welcomed consultations in Qatar’s capital Doha between the Secretary of State of Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) as it is raging in the mineral-rich Eastern DRC.
In a statement on Wednesday, AU Chairman Mahamoud Ali Youssouf praised both countries “for their commitment to dialogue” and urged all parties to “keep momentum.”
Local groups “remained in their support of African-led solutions to African challenges. … The Doha debate held in the spirit of constructive engagement is consistent with these efforts and complements the ongoing regional mechanisms,” Youssouf said.
Congolese President Felix Zisekedi and his Rwandan counterpart Paul Kagame met in Doha on Tuesday to hold their first in-person meeting since the Rwandan-backed M23 rebels seized two major cities in the eastern DRC this year.
Leaders issued a statement calling for an “immediate and unconditional ceasefire.”
It comes after the European Union imposed sanctions on some senior members of the group, including Prime Minister Bertrand Bissimwa, after M23 representatives withdrew from a planned meeting with DRC officials in Angola on Tuesday. The EU also approved three Rwandan military commanders and the chief of the country’s mining agency, citing support from the M23.
The M23 is one of over 200 armed groups fighting to control the territory of the Eastern DRC, rich in precious minerals such as cobalt. A group of experts from the Congolese government, the US and UN accused Kigali of supporting the M23, an allegation that Kigali has denied.
After more than a decade of dormant, the group resumed attacks in the Eastern DRC in 2022, escalating the attack in January, seizing strategic city sesame seeds, followed by Bukabu in February.
According to the United Nations, the war in the Eastern DRC has created one of the world’s biggest humanitarian crises, with around 7 million people, including at least 3.5 million children.
Source link
