The US special envoy to Africa on Thursday called on Rwanda to withdraw all its troops from the Democratic Republic of Congo and stop any support for the M23 rebel group.
Eastern DR Congo has been wracked by decades of conflict but tensions have soared in recent months by the advance of the M23 armed group, which the international community says is backed by Rwanda. Kigali denies the accusations.
“Rwanda should cease all military support to M23, and withdraw all Rwandan troops from DRC territory,” the US envoy, Massad Boulos, said during an online press conference from Washington after meeting this month with the leaders of both countries.
“M23 must lay down their arms,” he added, urging that the conflict be resolved through dialogue.
On April 8, Boulos had avoided directly answering how the fighting could be ended.
M23 has taken control of the cities of Goma and Bukavu in eastern DRC since the beginning of the year and is threatening to take more territory.
The latest escalation of clashes has killed thousands of people and forced tens of thousands more to flee to neighbouring countries, according to the United Nations and the Congolese government.
– ‘Time to end it’ –
The mineral-rich country, which borders Rwanda, has been scarred by violence for the last 30 years. The hostilities ravaging the region involves numerous armed groups as well as some of the Central African nation’s neighbours, who are defending their own economic and other interests.
“The conflict has gone for too long… it’s about time to end it,” Boulos said.
Rwanda denies providing the M23 with military support, but a UN experts’ report has said that Rwanda maintains around 4,000 troops in the DRC’s east to assist the armed group.
Kigali has long pointed to the alleged presence of the FDLR, an armed group founded by ethnic Hutus involved in the 1994 Rwandan genocide of the Tutsis, in eastern DRC. It claims that it faces a persistent security threat from the FDLR.
Boulos mentioned that he engaged in talks with Rwandan President Paul Kagame regarding the FDLR, which was considered a crucial aspect for Kigali.
Boulos stated that the US will explore all diplomatic and economic means to promote peace, emphasizing that the sovereignty and territorial integrity of every nation will be safeguarded.
Multiple appeals made by the global community for the retreat of M23 rebels and Rwandan forces from eastern Congo have thus far been ignored.
Last month’s surprise intervention by Qatar succeeded in bringing Congolese President Felix Tshisekedi and his Rwandan counterpart to Doha. The two leaders, invitation by Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani, discussed a possible ceasefire.
However, just a day later, M23 forces captured the strategic town of Walikale, a mineral-rich area known for its gold and tin reserves.
In April, Togolese President Faure Gnassingbé was appointed as the new African Union (AU) mediator in the conflict.
The AU has faced criticism for its reluctance to explicitly name Rwanda as a backer of the M23.
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