Congolese President Felix Tshisekedi and his Rwandan counterpart, Paul Kagame, met in Doha on Tuesday.
The African Union (AU) has welcomed talks within the Qatari capital, Doha, between the heads of states of Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) as combating rages on within the mineral-rich japanese DRC.
In a assertion on Wednesday, AU Chairperson Mahamoud Ali Youssouf recommended the 2 nations “for his or her dedication to dialogue” and urged all events to “keep the momentum”.
The regional physique “stays resolute in its help for African-led options to African challenges. … The Doha discussions, held in a spirit of constructive engagement, align with these efforts and complement ongoing regional mechanisms,” Youssouf mentioned.
Congolese President Felix Tshisekedi and his Rwandan counterpart, Paul Kagame, met in Doha on Tuesday to carry direct talks for the primary time since Rwanda-backed M23 rebels seized two main cities in japanese DRC this yr.
The leaders issued a press release that referred to as for an “fast and unconditional ceasefire”, particulars of whose implementation will probably be clarified “within the coming days”.
Talks within the Gulf nation occurred after M23 representatives pulled out of a deliberate assembly with DRC officers in Angola on Tuesday after the European Union imposed sanctions on a few of the group’s senior members, together with chief Bertrand Bisimwa. The EU additionally sanctioned three Rwandan navy commanders and the nation’s mining company chief, citing help for M23.
M23 is considered one of greater than 200 armed teams vying for management over territory within the japanese DRC, which is wealthy in treasured minerals akin to cobalt. The Congolese authorities, the USA and a gaggle of United Nations specialists accused Rwanda of backing M23, an allegation that Kigali denies.
After being dormant for greater than a decade, the group resumed its offensive in japanese DRC in 2022 and escalated its assaults in January, seizing the strategic metropolis of Goma, adopted by Bukavu in February.
Struggle within the japanese DRC has created one of many world’s largest humanitarian crises with almost 7 million individuals, together with a minimum of 3.5 million youngsters, in keeping with the UN.