DAKAR, Senegal — The presidents of Congo and neighboring Rwanda met Tuesday in Qatar for his or her first direct talks since Rwanda-backed M23 rebels seized two main cities in mineral-rich jap Congo earlier this yr.
The assembly between Congo’s President Felix Tshisekedi and Rwanda’s President Paul Kagame to debate the insurgency was mediated by Qatar, the three governments stated in a press release. The state-run Qatar Information Company revealed a picture of the 2 African leaders assembly with Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, the energy-rich nation’s ruling emir.
Congo and Rwanda reaffirmed their dedication to a right away and unconditional ceasefire, however the joint assertion supplied no specifics on how that ceasefire can be carried out or monitored.
The summit got here as a earlier try and deliver Congo’s authorities and M23 leaders collectively for ceasefire negotiations failed. The rebels pulled out Monday after the European Union introduced sanctions on insurgent leaders.
Qatar has hosted peace talks between Afghanistan’s Taliban and the United States, Chad and rebel forces and over the ongoing Israel-Hamas war within the Gaza Strip.
A diplomat briefed on the assembly stated each Tshisekedi and Kagame had formally requested Qatar’s mediation for the talks, which the diplomat stated have been casual and aimed toward constructing belief relatively than resolving all excellent points. The diplomat spoke to The Related Press on situation of anonymity as a result of they weren’t approved to talk publicly in regards to the matter.
Peace talks between Congo and Rwanda have been unexpectedly canceled in December after Rwanda made the signing of a peace settlement conditional on a direct dialogue between Congo and the M23 rebels, which Congo refused on the time.
The conflict in eastern Congo escalated in January when the Rwanda-backed rebels superior and seized the strategic metropolis of Goma, adopted by Bukavu in February.
M23 is one in every of about 100 armed teams which have been vying for a foothold in mineral-rich jap Congo close to the border with Rwanda, in a battle that has created one of many world’s most important humanitarian crises. Greater than 7 million individuals have been displaced.
The rebels are supported by about 4,000 troops from neighboring Rwanda, based on U.N. specialists, and at occasions have vowed to march so far as Congo’s capital, Kinshasa, about 1,600 kilometers (1,000 miles) to the east.
The U.N. Human Rights Council final month launched a commission to investigate atrocities, together with allegations of rape and killing akin to “abstract executions” by either side.
