The escalation of tensions between Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo worries the African Union
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Rwanda said on Saturday that two of its soldiers were being held after they were kidnapped by rebels in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. For its part, accuses Kinshasa neighbor of launching attacks on its territory. Senegalese President Macky Sall, who is also the current chairperson of the African Union, expressed ” very worried It calls on the two countries for calm and dialogue.
With our correspondent in Dakar Charlotte realize
If calm returns this morning, fighting broke out on Sunday between the Congolese army, backed by the Blue Helmets, and the March 23 rebel movement north of Goma, in Rutshuru territory towards Runyo-Ni and Rugari in the border area. Rwanda.
Kinshasa accuses this country of supporting the March 23rd Movement. On Sunday, villagers from the town of Beruma located about twenty kilometers from the Rwandan border Two Rwandan soldiers capturedThe Congolese army confirms. The Rwandan forces allege that these soldiers were arrested by the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda, another rebel group.
” Everything can go wrong “, the Senegalese Foreign Minister Aissata Tal Sall, who has been joined by the RFI. Confrontation, worries” Escalation risk Therefore, Senegal, chaired by the African Union, demands negotiations under the leadership of the Angolan head of state. ” President Macky Sall met with Angolan President Joao Lourenço, who not only replaced him as President of the Summit [de l’UA ce week-end à Malabo, NDLR], but as a member of the geographic region where all this happens. So he discussed with him to ask him to take the initiative [la conduite, NDLR] Negotiations under the cover of the African Union. »
Macky Sall is in touch with the Rwandan and Congolese presidents, says Aissata Tal Sall. She herself spoke with her peers. “ We have good hopes at least that we will be able to silence the guns while waiting for a political-diplomatic solution to be reached in the most urgent way in this sensitive part of Africa where there are already so many humanitarian and human rights problems. We must do everything we can to prevent this from getting worse. »
A new concern for the African Union, as relations between Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo began to relax in 2019, following the election of Congolese President Felix Tshisekedi.
President Macky Sall expresses his deep concern about the escalation taking place.
An uneasy calm on the ground
In eastern DRC, calm was uneasy on Sunday after several days of clashes between the Congolese army and M23 rebels. On Saturday, fighting broke out in the Kibumba and Rugari groups, about thirty kilometers from Goma, the main town in the area. Again on Saturday, shelling was reported further north, towards Runyoni in the Rutshuru district. Therefore, the situation is still very tense, according to our correspondent in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, chorale beret.
On the Goma – Rutshuru axis, road traffic resumed timidly on Sunday. A calming sign but still risky. ” Battles can be resumed at any time “Major Willy Ngoma, spokesman for the March 23 rebel movement, warns. Clashes took place, Saturday, in Rutshuru and Nyiragongo districts, several sources reported, particularly in the Kibumba, Rugari and Gomba groups.” On Saturday evening, the Israeli army received reinforcements Says a local civil society leader. ” On Sunday, the March 23 movement withdrew from certain areas “, he continued.
■ Liability for the crisis: UDPS responds to the FCC
In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Union for Democracy and Social Progress, the presidential party, responds to the FCC Who pointed yesterday on our antenna The responsibility of the Tshisekedi regime in the current crisis with the March 23rd Movement rebellion in North Kivu province. For the UDPS, the reality of insecurity in the eastern part of the country is the result of the complicity of the Kabila regime.
No one is ignorant that at one time our army was commanded by an officer in the Rwandan army; Everyone knows that it was Kabila who, through the integration and reintegration mechanism, brought Rwandan officers and soldiers into our army who continue to pose problems for our country. Felix Tshisekedi has not yet appointed a single officer, he is working with what he has found […] We are in no way responsible for what happens. The FCC must remain silent and apologize to the Congolese people for plunging them into this state of insecurity for more than twenty years. Rather than seek to blame the current power that inherited this situation.
I am Peter Kazade, Executive Officer of the Union for Democracy and Social Progress and Regional Representative in the city of Kinshasa
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