WASHINGTON, US
United States Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, called Rwanda's leader on Tuesday and pressed for a de-escalation after a new flare-up in tensions with the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Kinshasa's military late last
month accused Rwandan forces of entering its troubled border area, a claim
denied by Kigali, which has also been accused of backing rebels in Eastern DR
Congo.
The State Department said
Blinken had a "productive" call with Rwandan President Paul Kagame
about the "volatile situation", without taking a stance on the
alleged border incursion.
The call comes after Blinken's
deputy, Victoria Nuland, visited Kinshasa and discussed the friction with
Rwanda with President Felix Tshisekedi.
"Blinken relayed US
advocacy for a diplomatic solution to the tensions between the two countries
and (its) request for each side to take measures to de-escalate the
situation," a State Department statement said.
Blinken on his own visit to
the region last year said he found credible the allegations of Rwandan support
for the M23 rebels, who relaunched their armed campaign in Eastern DRC in late
2021.
Kagame denies supporting
the M23 but has called for action in the lawless area against the
Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR).
Armed groups have plagued much
of Eastern DR Congo for three decades, a legacy of regional wars that flared in
the 1990s and 2000s. - AFP
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