In Kinshasa, Anthony Blinken defends the territorial integrity of the DRC
Anthony Blinken and Foreign Minister Christophe Lutundula at a press conference in Kinshasa, August 9, 2022. REUTERS - POOL
Text by: RFI Follow
2 mins
After his stay in South Africa, Antony Blinken arrived in the DRC on Tuesday August 9 at the end of the afternoon.
The head of the American diplomacy exchanged in stride with President Félix Tshisekedi on several subjects including that of the tensions between Kinshasa and Kigali, against the backdrop of the activism of the rebel group M23 in the east of the country.
The two men also spoke at length about the oil blocks recently auctioned by the Congolese government.
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With our correspondent in Kinshasa,
Patient Ligodi
Without openly condemning Kigali, which the Congolese government and United Nations experts accuse of supporting the M23, the American Secretary of State shared his country's concerns: "
We are concerned by this United Nations report which indicates that the Rwanda supported the M23.
We call on each party in this region to be able to stop all support for M23, all support for all other non-state armed groups.
»
Without openly speaking of aggression, he spoke out in favor of the territorial integrity and sovereignty of the DRC and supported the diplomatic efforts deployed by Angola and Kenya for de-escalation between Kinshasa and Kigali: “
We are going to invest in order to protect civilians.
We therefore want to endorse the cooperation that the DRC must carry out with its neighbours.
This is what I will point out when I go to see the other leaders of this sub-region
”.
The other major subject of the exchanges was the question of the oil and gas blocks auctioned by the DRC, some of which are located in sensitive and/or protected areas.
Antony Blinken announced the establishment of a working group that will look into this issue.
“
Some of its resources are irreplaceable, so we can't damage them.
On the other hand, we must be reassured that the necessary support can be granted to the DRC to preserve the forests that the country abounds in and to create opportunities for the Congolese population
”, he declared.
This Wednesday, the American Secretary of State will meet other personalities including members of civil society.
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Read also: Antony Blinken's visit raises many expectations in the DRC
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