AU asks Angolan president to mediate in Congo-Rwanda crisis

By REUTERS

Dakar,

Senegal President Macky Sall, who chairs the Africa Union, on Sunday called for dialogue between the Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda as tensions escalate between the two countries over a resurgence of the M23 rebel group.

He also urged Angolan President João Lourenço, the chairperson of the International Conference for the Great Lakes Region (ICGLR), to head peace talks between DRC and Rwanda.

DR Congo on Saturday summoned Rwanda’s ambassador and suspended RwandAir flights to Congo in response to what it says is Kigali’s support for M23 rebels carrying out a military offensive in its eastern borderlands.

Also read: RwandAir cancels flights to DR Congo

Kinshasa has accused Rwanda of the latest offensive by the rebels, citing the rebels’ heavy firepower as evidence of outside support. Rwanda has denied this, calling the fighting an intra-Congolese conflict.

Rwanda’s army also requested the release of two Rwandan soldiers it said were “kidnapped” along its border with Congo.

“I am seriously concerned by the rising tension between Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo,” Sall said on Twitter.

“I call for calm and dialogue between the two countries, and for the peaceful resolution of the crisis with the support of regional mechanisms and the African Union,” said Sall, who holds the rotating chairmanship of the African Union.

Read: AU, UN endorse new regional peace bid in DR Congo

Also read: DR Congo army, rebels trade accusations on clashes in North Kivu

As of Monday, fighting in North Kivu province in eastern DRC between government forces and the M23 had stalled, but tension was still high in the area.

Kinshasa has reinforced the military in anticipation of renewed fighting.