Tshisekedi and Kagame discuss eastern DRC conflict in Qatar

Doha — Democratic Republic of Congo President Felix Tshisekedi and his Rwandan counterpart Paul Kagame met in Qatar on Tuesday for their first direct talks since M23 rebels stepped up an offensive in the east of the DRC in January, the three governments said.

The meeting, mediated by the Emir of Qatar, comes as M23 fighters have made rapid advances and the two biggest cities in eastern DRC.

The DRC accuses Rwanda of sending arms and Rwandan troops to support the rebels, whose offensive has plunged eastern DRC into its worst conflict in decades.

Rwanda has said its forces are acting in self defence against the DRC’s army and militias hostile to Kigali.

Neighbouring countries have been working to broker a ceasefire but an attempt to bring the DRC government and M23 leaders together at a meeting in Angola on Tuesday failed when M23 withdrew on Monday afternoon.

“The heads of state reaffirmed the commitment of all parties to an immediate and unconditional ceasefire,” the three governments said in a joint statement.

“The heads of state then agreed on the need to continue the discussions initiated in Doha to establish solid foundations for lasting peace.”

A diplomat briefed on the talks said the meeting was “informal” and “not meant to replace any existing efforts”.

The conflict in eastern DRC is rooted in the fallout from Rwanda’s 1994 genocide and competition for mineral riches. It has quickly spiralled since January, with thousands of people killed and hundreds of thousands forced from their homes.

Qatar has acted as a mediator in a number of conflicts, most recently working with Egypt and the US to negotiate a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, which broke down earlier on Tuesday.

Reuters