DR Congo and Rwanda call for ceasefire in conflict with M23 rebels

President Félix TSHISEKEDI and Rwanda’s Paul Kagame of Congo Democratic Republic and Paul Kagame in Qatar asked for “immediate ceasefire.”

After Rwanda, the M23 rebels supported the attack in this area, two leaders have met for the first time, and 7,000 people have died since January.

It is not clear whether the M23 will pay attention to the ceasefire after the rebels refuse to attend peace talks in Angola on Tuesday.

Dr. Congo accused Rwanda for arming the M23 and dispatching an army to support the rebels in the conflict. Despite the claims of the United Nations and the United States, Rwanda refused to support the M23.

Rwanda said that the forces of Congo and Allied militias are acting as self -defense. Dr. Congo also rejected Rwanda, accusing Rwanda illegally used mineral sediments on the east.

In December, after Rwanda demanded that the Congo government had a direct talk with the M23, Angola’s peace talks collapsed.

The rebel group has quickly developed in the past two months, controlling two major cities, GOMA and Bukavu.

According to a joint statement published by the Qatar Foreign Ministry on Tuesday, the two African presidents reaffirmed their promises of “immediate and unconditional” ceasefire, but it was not clear how it would be implemented or monitored.

“The national team agreed to continue the discussion that started in Doha to establish a solid foundation for continuous peace,” he added.

The meeting was surprised when the two leaders seemed to have not compromised about the disputes of the two leaders.

President Rwanda He insisted on a separate statement that had a direct conversation Between Dr. Congo and M23, there was a “key to solving the root cause of the conflict.”

President Kagame expressed his faith, “As all the parties work together, work can go faster.”

Congo spokesman Tina Salama He said that the conversation began in X Qatar Sheikh Tami Bin Hamad Alani’s Emir (EMIR), describing the Gulf State as a “strategic ally [African] nation “.

In the president’s statement, the Congo government said the meeting was the first step towards the foundation for continuous peace in the eastern part of the volatile.

The meeting of the two leaders came to the previous attempt to collect Dr. Congo’s government and M23 rebels for peace talks. The rebels withdrew on Monday after the European Union announced sanctions on their leadership.