The final stop on his African trip is a balancing act for US Secretary of State Antony Blinken.

After arriving in Rwanda on Thursday, he spoke with Rwandan President Paul Kagame and Foreign Minister Vincent Biruta about the ongoing violence in the Congo-Rwanda border region.

Blinken said that ways of reducing tensions between the two countries were discussed.

Claudia Bröll

Political correspondent for Africa based in Cape Town.

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The US and Rwandan governments have long been close allies.

Before his visit to Rwanda, Blinken had expressed "very concern" in Congo about what he described as a credible United Nations report.

There is evidence that Rwanda supported a notorious rebel group called the M23 in eastern Congo.

Rwanda's government denies the report.

For her part, she accuses Congo of supporting another rebel group.

This puts their population at risk.

Eastern Congo has been the scene of heavy fighting since May of this year.

More than a hundred rebel groups are active there, M23 reappeared in November after a long ceasefire.

The mutual recriminations of neighboring countries had triggered a diplomatic crisis that was officially settled in July after a meeting between the heads of state.

A withdrawal of M23 was also agreed.

But the rebels are said to be staying near the border with Uganda.

turbulent times

Blinken had already called on both sides in Congo to stop supporting rebel groups.

In addition, “all countries must respect the territorial integrity of their neighbors.

This is a requirement that we take very seriously around the world.

We spent some time talking about this when it came to Ukraine.

It's just as important here."

The Congolese foreign minister had previously spoken of "very turbulent" times and called for sanctions against Rwanda.

Apart from Eastern Congo, another sensitive issue was on the agenda in Rwanda.

The United States' serious concerns about democracy and human rights in the country, including the "wrongful" detention of Paul Rusesabagina, were discussed, Blinken said.

"As I told President Kagame, we believe that people in every country should be able to voice their opinions without fear of intimidation, detention, violence or other forms of oppression," Blinken said in a joint statement Press conference with Biruta.

The controversial verdict against Rusesabagina

Rusesabagina is now an opponent of the Rwandan government.

He became known through the film "Hotel Rwanda" because he is said to have saved the lives of many people in Rwanda during the genocide.

In April, he was sentenced to 25 years in prison in a highly controversial international trial because the court believed he helped found an armed resistance group.

Pro-government officials in Rwanda see him as a terrorist.

In the United States, however, where Rusesabagina has a resident permit, he is considered by many to be a hero.

He was honored with the Presidential Medal of Freedom by then American President George W. Bush.

Human rights organizations, the European Commission and the United States had condemned the trial and called for his release.

Ahead of the ministerial visit, the Rwandan government said it looked forward to "a robust exchange of views on governance and human rights," as has always been the norm in bilateral relations between Rwanda and the United States.

Talks about Rusesabagina were also confirmed.

However, in a later tweet, Kagame assured that he would not be pressured into intervening in a court proceeding.

"Do not worry.

There are things that just don't work that way here!” he wrote in response to a tweet.

At his previous stop in Congo, Blinken had spoken, apart from eastern Congo, about the elections next year and the announced auction of land for oil and gas exploration in a large rainforest area.

Blinken raised concerns about environmental damage and the impact on the climate.

The trip started in South Africa, where the minister presented the American government's strategy for Africa and where the war in Ukraine was discussed.

Accordingly, America and African states are “equal partners”.

The United States would not dictate a course to Africa.

South Africa has taken a "neutral" position on the war.