KINSHASA, DR Congo
Democratic Republic of Congo
President, Felix Tshisekedi, has reignited an accusation against Rwanda,
insisting that Kigali is still fanning rebel groups in his country’s territory.Democratic Republic of the Congo President Felix Tshisekedi addresses the 77th session of the United Nations General Assembly at UN headquarters in New York City on September 20, 2022.
In a speech to the United Nations
General Assembly, Tshisekedi claimed his efforts to reunite the country and
pursue peaceful settlements have been dragged by continual external
interference, accusing Rwanda, in particular, of fomenting rebel movements.
“Despite my goodwill for the
search of peace, some neighbours have found no better way to thank us than to
aggress and support armed groups that are ravaging eastern Congo,” he told an
audience on Tuesday night.
Turning to Rwanda, he said:
“In defiance of international law, has once again not only interfered in the
DRC since MARCH by direct incursions of its armed forces (Rwanda Defence Force
RDF), but also occupies localities in North Kivu province (eastern DRC) by an
armed terrorist group, the M23, to which it provides massive support in terms
of equipment and troops.”
The accusation against Rwanda, which has been rejected many
times before by Kigali, is likely to elicit a response when Kigali’s
representative addresses the UN later in the week. But it could also
signal simmering differences between the two countries that had initially cut
official communication between them before resuming talks.
In July, after meeting in
Angolan capital Luanda, under mediation of President Joao Lourenço, Rwandan President
Paul Kagame and President Tshisekedi agreed to reopen dialogue and have their
differences solved diplomatically.
Tshisekedi told the audience
he is always ready to pursue peace, speaking of recent arrangements to hold
dialogue with rebel groups that did not succeed as other parties to the talks
pulled out.
“Since my election as head of
state of the DRC, I have not stopped fighting every day for peace. In order to
definitively eradicate insecurity, restore lasting peace and ensure stability
in the East of my country, several agreements have been signed with armed
groups and even neighbouring countries.
“National and international
mechanisms have been created. All these prospects for a final settlement of the
conflict lasted only a few months. Soon, the architecture cracked and the building
collapsed; we always start with the same tragedies.
Tshisekedi spoke at the
opening of the regular session of the United Nations General Assembly in New
York. And for 38 minutes, the Congolese head of state touched on global
security issues, including terrorism, which he argued had not spared the
African continent. He also talked about the armed conflict between Russia and
Ukraine and the need for a peaceful settlement between these two countries.
No comments:
Post a Comment