As Rwandan President Paul Kagame spoke with the President of the European Council on de-escalating the conflict, the Congolese Senior Minister denounced before European parliamentarians
the occupation of Goma and the death of 3,000 people.
Rwandan President Paul Kagame spoke on Wednesday with European Council President Antonio Costa to discuss the crisis in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), APA has learnt. At the heart of the discussions: the need to de-escalate the conflict and find a lasting political solution.
“All parties involved in the search for a solution must demonstrate responsibility and composure, even in the face of the complexity of the problem,” the Rwandan president said during this exchange, which also provided an opportunity to discuss “sustained cooperation between the European Union and Rwanda in key sectors.”
High diplomatic tensions
This meeting takes place in a particularly tense context, marked on the same day by the intervention of the Congolese Minister of State Thérèse Kayikwamba Wagner before the Africa-EU Parliamentary Assembly.
She strongly denounced the occupation of Goma by what she calls the “RDF-M23 Coalition,” directly accusing the Rwandan forces.
In her speech, the Congolese minister presented an alarming toll of 3,000 dead and three million civilians “taken hostage” and used as “human shields.”
She also pointed out the alleged plundering of mineral resources for the benefit of Rwanda.
Despite these accusations, Kinshasa maintains its commitment to the diplomatic processes of Luanda and Nairobi, while deploring “the bad faith” of Kigali in these negotiations.
Tensions between the two countries persist, with the DRC continuing to accuse Rwanda of supporting the M23 rebellion.
AC/fss/as/APA