Brussels on Saturday said that it was setting up a “humanitarian air bridge” to deliver aid to conflict-hit eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DR Congo), as the visiting French president said all sides had given support to a ceasefire this week.
The air bridge is to link with Goma, the capital of DR Congo’s eastern North Kivu Province, where fighting with the rebel group M23 has displaced more than 600,000 people.
The operation would “deliver humanitarian support in the form of medical and nutritional supplies along with a range of other emergency items,” a European Commission statement said.
Photo: AFP
Meanwhile, French President Emmanuel Macron, visiting the country on the last leg of his African tour aimed at renewing frayed ties, said that all sides would support a ceasefire in the fighting.
During talks with Angolan President Joao Lourenco and Congolese President Felix Tshisekedi, as well as Rwandan President Paul Kagame, Macron said all had “given clear support” to a ceasefire from tomorrow, as envisaged in the timeline mediated by Angola.
Despite Congolese pressure to do so, Macron avoided overt public criticism of alleged Rwandan support for M23, which Tshisekedi called “unjust and barbarous aggression.”
DR Congo “must not comprise the spoils of war. Open looting [of the country] must cease. There must be no pillaging, no Balkanization, no war,” Macron told a joint news conference with Tshisekedi.
The EU said it was also releasing about 47 million euros (US$50.06 million) to be channelled through humanitarian partners for immediate needs such as nutrition, healthcare, shelter and water.
“The EU stands ready to mobilize all the necessary means to support humanitarian workers, including logistics and air, to meet the needs of the population in Democratic Republic of Congo,” EU Commissioner for Crisis Management Janez Lenarcic said.
The Congolese government has accused Rwanda of backing the militia group M23, which re-emerged from dormancy in late 2021, subsequently occupying swathes of territory in North Kivu.
Independent UN experts, the US and other Western countries — including France — agree with Kinshasa’s assessment, but Rwanda denies the charge.
Addressing the issue, Macron, rather than announce sanctions, called on all parties to “take responsibility” for the situation in the region, “Rwanda included.”
He said: “What we expect of Rwanda and others is to engage and respect appointments which they give themselves under the supervision of mediators — and, if they do not respect, then, yes, there can be sanctions. I say this very clearly.”
Anti-French sentiment runs high in some former African colonies as the continent becomes a renewed diplomatic battleground, with Russian and Chinese influence growing.
On Thursday, Macron said the era of French interference in Africa had ended and there was no desire to return to the past.
The French president on Friday met with Republic of the Congo President Denis Sassou-Nguesso, after visiting Angola and Gabon.
In the Angolan capital, Luanda, Macron held talks with Angolan President Joao Lourenco, calling the oil-rich country a “strategic partner in the region.”
Macron, who chaired an economic forum attended by more than 50 French companies, said the “heart of this visit is the strengthening of agricultural partnerships” with Angola.
France has for decades been involved in the oil industry in the Portuguese-speaking southern African country, which is one of the continent’s top crude producers.
Before leaving Luanda, the French president thanked Lourenco for his work to restore stability to the region, highlighting his diplomatic efforts in conflict-torn eastern DR Congo.
He added that there are “legitimate hopes” for a de-escalation in the turbulent region.
Macron also met with Central African Republic President Faustin-Archange Touadera in Gabon on Thursday, after relations had deteriorated as Russian influence increased in Bangui and French troops left the troubled country last year.
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