The leaders of the Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda called for a cease-fire in the east of the Congo in order to end the last deadly chapter of a three decades.
Presidents Félix Tshisekedi of Congo and Paul Kagame of Rwanda are committed to an “immediate and unconditional ceasefire”, according to a joint statement published with Qatar, where the two leaders met for an unexpected meeting on Tuesday.
They did not say how the cease-fire would be made or monitored. But the meeting was the most important measure of the leaders since An armed group supported by RwandaCalled M23, captured the two largest cities in the East Congo and the large expanses of the territory in an offensive that started in January.
“This is the first time that a concrete declaration has come from the two leaders,” said Oluwole Ojewale, a scholar of the Institute for Security Studies which focuses on Central Africa, in an interview.
Ojewale said the United States could have been able to summon peace talks, but that it was not a priority for the Trump administration, Qatar intervened. But he said that the greatest failure belonged to the African Union, whose efforts to bring together the two leaders had been registered.
“It now seems that countries that really have the leverage to bring African leaders at war to the table are countries like Turkey, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates-which are completely outside the banks of the continent,” he said.
The fighting in eastern Congo has moved more than 700,000 people since January, according to the United Nations Agency for Refugees and have killed thousands of others.
The surprise meeting of the leaders came one day after The European Union has announced sanctions On the Rwandan government and military officials on the support of the M23. Rwanda retaliated by cutting diplomatic links with Belgium, a country which was once the colonial sovereign in Congo and Rwanda, and which was a leading voice for sanctions against Rwanda for its involvement in the conflict.
Mr. Tshisekedi and Mr. Kagame said in the press release That they wanted to “establish solid foundations for lasting peace” in the eastern Congo, where three decades of fighting ethnic tensions and access to the earth killed millions of people.
M23, a group created in 2012, is armed and commissioned by the Rwanda army, according to the United Nations, the United States and the European Union. Rwanda denies supporting the group and says that violence in the neighboring Congo threatens its security.
M23 now controls Goma and Bukavu, two key centers on the border with Rwanda.
It remains to be seen if M23 will take into account calls for a ceasefire. He denied any affiliation with the government of Rwanda and canceled a meeting with the Congo government, which was also scheduled for Tuesday.
Neither the weakness of the Congo army nor international pressure, including a unanimous conviction of the United Nations Security Council, was able to stop the group’s advance. M23, which has 6,000 to 9,000 soldiers, according to the United Nations estimates, now controls an area the size of Louisiana in the east of the Congo which is rich in gold and other minerals like Coltan.
