by Clement Uwiringiyimana
KIGALI (Reuters) – U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Thursday he had discussed with Rwandan President Paul Kagame “credible” reports that Rwanda continued to support the M23 rebel group in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). .
Antony Blinken added that Paul Kagame and Democratic Republic of Congo President Felix Tshisekedi had agreed to engage in direct talks to address the fighting in eastern DRC.
“My message this week to President Tshisekedi and President Kagame is the same: any support or cooperation with an armed group in eastern DRC endangers local communities and regional stability, and every countries in the region must respect the territorial integrity of others,” said Antony Blinken.
The top US diplomat is visiting Kigali less than a week after UN-mandated experts said they had gathered “strong evidence” of Rwandan military interference in eastern DRC – which the Kigali contested.
Kigali and the M23 have previously denied DRC accusations that Rwanda supports the armed group.
For its part, Rwanda accuses the DRC of using the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR) as an armed wing, which Kinshasa denies.
According to Rwandan Foreign Minister Vincent Biruta, Kigali has “agreed on the need to eradicate all irregular armed groups operating in eastern DRC, including the FDLR and their factions”.
Since May, the M23 has carried out its most important offensive, and in July controlled a territory almost three times larger than in March, according to the UN.
(Reporting Humeyra Pamuk, Clement Uwiringiyimana, Alex Winning and Elias Biryabarema; Writing by James Macharia Chege; French version Dina Kartit, editing by Kate Entringer)
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