On Wednesday, July 6, the President of Rwanda and his Congolese counterpart, at the invitation of Angolan president Lourenço in his capacity as the Chair of the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region (ICGLR) under AU mandate, met in Luanda to discuss the crisis in DR Congo and find ways to de-escalate tensions between Rwanda and DR Congo, after rockets were fired into Rwanda as Congolese troops engaged M23 rebels.
A road map for the de-escalation of the tensions was agreed upon during the tripartite summit, which clearly stipulated the modalities to be followed to achieve the normalization of political and diplomatic relations. And, as well, the establishment of a climate of trust, creation of optimal conditions for dialogue, and political consultations to resolve the current security crisis in eastern DR Congo.
However, top Congolese leaders have since ignored the outcomes of the tripartite meeting and have persisted in issuing incendiary statements against Rwanda. In particular, the President of the Congolese national assembly, Christophe Mboso has been hopping from country to country in an attempt to influence opinion against Rwanda.
The Congolese foreign Minister, Christophe Lutundula, and the Congolese government spokesperson took to the media the day after the Luanda tripartite meeting where they made sensational attacks against Rwanda, as a display of bad faith towards the outcomes of the discussions held by the three presidents. Despite provocations by Congolese leaders since 2010, Rwanda has remained cool-headed and always given peace a chance.
The Congolese regime should stick to agreements, and stop being a disrupter of peace in its own country.
Leave a Reply