Felix Tshisekedi, president of the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Paul Kagame, president of Rwanda, met Tuesday for the first time since M23 rebels intensified their onslaught in eastern Congo in January and call for a ceasefire.
The ceasefire should be “immediate and unconditional,” according to a joint statement released with Qatar, whose emir facilitated the meeting in Doha.
However, it was unclear if it would deter the M23 guerrillas, who already hold more territory in eastern Congo than ever before, including the two largest cities in the region.
The rebels’ onslaught has thrown eastern Congo into its worst conflict in decades, and Congo accuses Rwanda of providing weaponry and Rwandan troops to aid the rebels.
According to Rwanda, its troops are defending themselves against the Congolese army and anti-Kigali rebels.
A ceasefire has been mediated by neighboring nations, but an effort to meet with Congo’s government and M23 leaders in Angola on Tuesday was unsuccessful after M23 withdrew on Monday afternoon.
Agreed on the need to continue the discussions initiated in Doha in order to establish solid foundations for lasting peace, the joint statement said of Tshisekedi and Kagame’s meeting in Qatar on Tuesday.
The meeting, according to a diplomat briefed on the discussions, was “informal” and “not meant to replace any existing efforts.”
The rivalry for mineral resources and the aftermath of Rwanda’s 1994 genocide are the main causes of the violence in east Congo. Since January, it has become worse, killing thousands of people and uprooting hundreds of thousands more.
Qatar, a Gulf Arab state, has served as a mediator in a number of conflicts.
