President Paul Kagame of Rwanda and President Felix Tshisekedi of DRC are expected to hold talks mediated by the Washington government according to sources.
“There are a number of opportunities that the US-Africa Leaders’ Summit presents. Some of them have to do with peace and security on the continent. That, of course, will be a topic of discussion in many different fora during the summit,” US State Department spokesperson Edward “Ned” Price said.
He added, “As you know, this is a conflict and a set of tensions that Secretary [Antony] Blinken has become personally invested in – [he] travelled to Rwanda and the DRC in August as tensions were flaring in an effort to engage the leaders of both countries, to urge a de-escalation and to urge steps that would put an end to these hostilities.”
These talks come at the climax of diplomatic fallout between DRC and Rwanda amidst a protracted armed struggle staged by the M23 rebel movement.
Kinshasa government accuses Rwanda of supporting the rebels despite lack of evidence.
Rwanda has also repeatedly blamed the crisis in eastern DRC on authorities in Kinshasa and accused the international community of turning a blind eye to its supposed support for the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR), a movement Rwandan rebels, some of whom were involved in the 1994 genocide against Tutsi which claimed over a million lives.
The conflict between the Congolese forces and M23 forces has escalated since October.
The withdrawal of M23 was a key demand made at peace talks with neighboring Rwanda last month.
On November 23, at the Mini-Summit on Peace and Security held in Angola’s Lunada, heads of state had demanded that the rebels lay down their weapons or face attack by regional military forces.
A ceasefire was agreed upon between the rebels and Congolese forces during the talks.
