The US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Tuesday had an important meeting with Rwandan Foreign Minister Vincent Biruta today on the margins of G20 meetings in Bali (Indonesia).
“I underscored the United States’ deep concern about the continuing violence in eastern DR Congo and called on Rwanda to take active steps to facilitate de-escalation”, said Antony Blinken after meeting his Rwandan counterpart.
Minister Vincent Biruta reiterated Rwanda’s commitment to the regional Nairobi and Luanda mechanisms to bring peace and stability to Eastern DRC and the region, and the need for all concerned parties to work towards a political solution to the crisis.
DR Congo has accused Rwanda of backing M23 rebels as they advanced in recent weeks on key towns in the east of the country.
The government of Felix Tshisekedi recently expelled the Rwandan ambassador to Kinshasa, citing Kigali’s role in aiding and abetting the rebel’s latest campaign against the Congolese military.
Kigali has in turn repeatedly accused Kinshasa of integrating what it called the genocidal FDLR forces into its FARDC army and empowered them to shell Rwandan territory from DR Congo.
The M23 was defeated by Congo’s army (FARDC) and special MONUSCO forces in 2013 but have since regrouped and by November 2021 began its offensive in the east of the country.
CU/abj/APA