Before leaving the DRC, Antony Blinken met with civil society actors
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, surrounded by Denis Mukwege and several civil society leaders, in Kinshasa, August 10, 2022. REUTERS - POOL
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3 mins
In the DRC, it is time to take stock after the two-day visit of the head of American diplomacy.
Antony Blinken listened to the pleas of civil society actors on Wednesday.
He reiterated his country's readiness to support their fight.
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With our correspondent in Kinshasa,
Patient Ligodi
Antony Blinken has completed his Congolese stay.
In Kinshasa, he exchanged with President Félix Tshisekedi, Prime Minister Sama Lukonde, the Minister of Foreign Affairs and other political and civil society figures.
The power of Kinshasa draws a positive balance from this visit for which it expected a lot, particularly in terms of security and the environment.
The Congolese authorities are particularly satisfied with the unambiguous remarks made in Kinshasa by the American Secretary of State concerning the
need to respect the territorial integrity of the DRC
as well as the condemnation of any support for armed groups including the M23.
We also welcome the fact that Antony Blinken agreed to transmit Kinshasa's protest message to Paul Kagame.
On this issue, the Minister of Communication and Media, Patrick Muyaya, adds that his government will only be completely satisfied after the M23 has left Bunagana, a town occupied for nearly two months.
Congolese and Americans also discussed military cooperation.
The United States has once again conditioned the strengthening of this partnership by the obligation for Kinshasa to dismiss from the army the officers whose names are on various lists of international sanctions.
The other point of satisfaction on the Congolese side is the fact that the United States has shown itself to be less hostile to the auctioning of oil and gas blocks, some of which are located in areas sheltering peat bogs.
The DRC remains open and awaits concrete proposals from polluting countries, including the United States, to preserve the forests of the Congo Basin, considered the lungs of the planet.
On this issue, the fact that the two parties decided to set up a working group to continue discussions was seen by Kinshasa as a good sign.
Civil society notes "a will", expects action
There was also at least an hour's discussion this Wednesday between Antony Blinken and hand-picked civil society delegates, including Nobel Peace Prize winner Denis Mukwege and activist Julienne Lusenge.
Particular emphasis was placed on the cycles of conflict in eastern DRC and their regional dimensions.
All recognized that this problem does not receive the attention it deserves from the international community.
Some even called for the appointment of a US special envoy for the Great Lakes region, pointing out that “
in the past, this mechanism had contributed to the mitigation of conflicts
”.
Others insisted on the firmness that the Biden administration should have vis-à-vis Paul Kagame on the accusations of support for the M23.
No concrete commitment has been made by the US Secretary of State.
However, he expressed the administration's determination "
to do more and put pressure on the actors linked to the conflicts in the eastern part of the DRC
".
"
We felt in him the will to do something, but we left the meeting not knowing what the United States will concretely do
," said a member of civil society who participated in the exchanges.
Other activists have also urged Antony Blinken to advocate for the release of imprisoned citizens' movement activists.
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