DR Congo, Rwanda Crisis : African Leaders Call For Restraint

Africa Union mediator in the crisis between the Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda, President João Lourenço has called on the two countries to restraint from any act of violence. The Angolan leader who made the announcement on Monday after separate talks with his Congolese and Rwandan counterparts also said in a communique made public by his office that, DR Congo authorities have agreed to release the two Rwandan soldiers it detained last week, while President Felix Tshisekedi and Paul Kagame have accepted to meet face-to-face in Angola soonest. The chairman of the African Union, Senegalese President Macky Sall, on Monday also telephoned the Rwandan and Congolese leaders to try to ease tensions between Kigali and Kinshasa. President Sall had earlier expressed “grave concern” at rising tensions between the two countries.
The AU mediator’s statement comes on the heels of rising tension between the two countries. Last Monday hundreds of people took to the streets of the Congolese capital, Kinshasa, to denounce Rwanda’s alleged backing of the M23 rebel group. During the protests organised by the civil society group-NDSCI, protesters as well as the political class demanded the expulsion of the Rwandan ambassador. Apart from suspending all RwandAir flights, Kinshasa authorities have decided to take the case international by demanding on the United Nations Security Council to, “unequivocally and firmly” condemn Rwanda and the M23 rebels.
Rwanda and the DR Congo have accused each other of aiding armed militias in the border region and encouraging attacks. On Tuesday, DR Congo authorities summoned Rwanda Ambassador to Kinshasa to explain why his country is supporting the M23 rebel grou...