APA – Kigali (Rwanda) – The US intelligence chief secured promises from the leaders of Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo to de-escalate the crisis after an alarming surge in violence, according to the White House.
Reports indicate that the Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines traveled to the two countries Sunday and Monday and said Washington would monitor their efforts toward de-escalation of the conflict which has rocked the eastern DRC.
Rwandan President Paul Kagame and DR Congo President Felix Tshisekedi each offered commitments to Haines to that effect, a White House statement said.
“Acknowledging the long history of conflict in this region, Presidents Kagame and Tshisekedi plan to take specific steps to reduce current tensions by addressing the respective security concerns of both countries,” it said.
The White House did not immediately go into specifics on their promises but said it drew on previous African-led negotiations in the Kenyan capital Nairobi and a follow-up conference in the Angolan capital Luanda.
The Luanda summit on the security situation in DR Congo was convened last year, ending with a roadmap for the pacification of eastern Congolese provinces of North Kivu, South Kivu and Ituri.
Eastern DR Congo is home to over 120 armed groups, who are accused of targeting civilians by the United Nations.
Angola’s President João Lourenço and former Kenyan leader Uhuru Kenyatta are mediating between Rwanda and DR Congo.
CU/abj/APA