M23 rebellion in the DRC: meeting between the heads of American and Rwandan diplomacy
Congolese army soldiers patrol the Kanyaruchinya area where displaced people fleeing the M23 advance have taken refuge on November 15, 2022. REUTERS - ARLETTE BASHIZI
Text by: RFI Follow
2 mins
In eastern DRC, a precarious calm reigns this Wednesday, November 16 after several days of intense fighting between the Congolese army and the M23 rebels.
The latter who are currently about twenty km north of Goma.
The Congolese authorities claim to hold their positions, while several diplomatic initiatives have been observed.
On the sidelines of the G20 in Bali, the US Secretary of State met with his Rwandan counterpart and French President Emmanuel Macron spoke about the conflict.
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“
I had an important meeting with Vincent Biruta.
I underscored the deep concern of the United States about the
continuing violence
in eastern DRC, and called on Rwanda to act to facilitate de-escalation
,” Antony Blinken wrote in a tweet. accompanied by a photo which shows him discussing with the head of Rwandan diplomacy in a hotel lobby.
Response from the latter on the same platform:
"I reiterated Rwanda's involvement in regional mechanisms to bring peace and stability to the region, and stressed the need for all stakeholders to work towards a political solution. to this crisis
.
Thank you @SecBlinken for the good meeting.
I 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.
https://t.co/GDyLEurTf7
— Vincent Biruta (@Vbiruta) November 15, 2022
Emmanuel Macron: the priority "to re-
engage in a political process"
France, for its part, reaffirmed its support for
the Nairobi process.
This is what Emmanuel Macron recalled, questioned on the subject by our special correspondent to the G20
Mounia Daoudi.
"
There is, I believe, a possible path, involving the region on the basis of the Nairobi process, which we support, the deployment of regional forces to be able to stabilize several towns, in particular Bunagana, and thus allow a withdrawal of the M23, and above all to be able to re-engage in a political process, which must be the priority in dealing with these tensions
.
»
The East African community has announced that new talks will be held on November 21 in Nairobi.
Its facilitator,
former Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta
, was in Goma on Tuesday, where the military governor of North Kivu, General Constant Ndima, urged the population to “calm down”.
He assured that the Congolese Armed Forces “
contain
the enemy on the heights of Kibumba
”, a strategic lock towards the city, and denounced “
the rumors conveyed by the enemy to create a general panic within the population
”.
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