The presidents of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DR Congo) and Rwanda met in Qatar on Tuesday for their first direct talks since Rwanda-backed M23 rebels seized two major cities in mineral-rich eastern DR Congo earlier this year.
The meeting between Congolese President Felix Tshisekedi and Rwandan President Paul Kagame to discuss the insurgency was mediated by Qatar, the three governments said in a statement.
The state-run Qatar News Agency published an image of the two African leaders meeting with Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, Qatar’s ruling emir.
Photo: AFP / Qatari Ministry of Foreign Affairs
DR Congo and Rwanda reaffirmed their commitment to an immediate and unconditional ceasefire, but the joint statement offered no specifics on how it would be implemented or monitored.
The summit came as a previous attempt to bring DR Congo’s government and M23 leaders together for ceasefire negotiations failed.
The rebels pulled out on Monday after the EU announced sanctions on rebel leaders.
A diplomat briefed on the meeting said that Tshisekedi and Kagame had formally requested Qatar’s mediation for the talks, which the diplomat said were informal and aimed at building trust rather than resolving all outstanding issues.
The diplomat spoke to reporters on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly about the matter.
Peace talks between DR Congo and Rwanda were unexpectedly canceled in December last year after Rwanda made the signing of a peace agreement conditional on a direct dialogue between DR Congo and the M23 rebels, which Kinshasa refused at the time.
The conflict in eastern DR Congo escalated in January when the Rwanda-backed rebels advanced and seized the strategic city of Goma, followed by Bukavu last month.
M23 is one of about 100 armed groups that have been vying for a foothold in mineral-rich eastern DR Congo near the border with Rwanda, in a conflict that has created one of the world’s most significant humanitarian crises.
More than 7 million people have been displaced.
The rebels are supported by about 4,000 troops from Rwanda, according to UN experts, and at times have vowed to march as far as Kinshasa, about 1,600km to the east.
The UN Human Rights Council last month launched a commission to investigate atrocities, including allegations of killings akin to “summary executions,” and rape by both sides.
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