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- America's Director of National Intelligence was in Kigali on Sunday and Kinshasa on Monday, hoping to de-escalate tensions between Rwanda and the DRC.
- The East African Community will discuss the Rwanda and DRC fallout.
- After meeting the American envoy, both the Rwandan and Congolese presidents agreed to "take specific steps to reduce current tensions by addressing the respective security concerns of both countries".
The United States dispatched its Director of National Intelligence (DNI), Avril Haines, to Rwanda and its neighbour, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), for separate meetings with heads of state.
In a note to journalists, the White House said Haines was joined by Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs Molly Phee and Special Assistant to the President and National Security Council Senior Director for African Affairs Judd Devermont.
The DRC's president, Felix Tshisekedi, and his Rwandan counterpart, Paul Kagame, are at loggerheads over their support for rebel groups seeking to destabilise both countries.
Tshisekedi stands accused of supporting the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR), an armed rebel group launching attacks into Rwanda.
Kagame, on the other hand, was exposed for supporting M23 rebels destabilising eastern DRC, particularly North Kivu.
READ | US pushes, again, for revived Rwanda-DRC talks, as SADC force prepares to enter the fray
The United Nations (UN) and numerous humanitarian organisations said actions by both countries were the major drivers of insecurity in the region.
Already, as a way of de-escalation, there's the East African Community-led Luanda Process to end hostilities between the DRC and Rwanda, while the Nairobi Process seeks to halt hostilities among DRC rebels.
Haines made the trip to both countries ahead of the East African Community (EAC) meeting slated for Thursday, where relations between the two leaders would be one of the key issues.
The DRC is set to hold elections on 20 December.
In launching his campaign, Tshisekedi accused Kagame of interfering in the DRC and vowed that the two leaders would never see eye to eye.
"Our paths are separated forever. Our eventual meeting will be before God, who created us. He will judge us and know who was the good and the bad," Tshisekedi said in a televised broadcast.
After meeting the American envoy on Sunday in Kigali, and on Monday in Kinshasa, both leaders agreed to "take specific steps to reduce current tensions by addressing the respective security concerns of both countries".
Last Sunday, President Kagame met with the U.S. Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines and her delegation. They had constructive discussions focused on ways to de-escalate tensions and address the root causes of the security situation in eastern DRC. pic.twitter.com/i9xhinu4Tg
— Presidency | Rwanda (@UrugwiroVillage) November 21, 2023
The US said it would closely monitor the relations between both countries and help them reach a peaceful consensus.
"The US government welcomes and intends to monitor these DRC and Rwandan steps towards de-escalation and plans to support diplomatic and intelligence engagements between both countries to foster greater security and prosperity for the Congolese and Rwandan peoples," the US said.
Timeline of Rwanda-DRC conflict
In May 2022, DRC forces claimed to have apprehended two Rwandan soldiers who had been dispatched into the DRC in disguise.
They were released after a month, but not before DRC soldiers shelled and injured several civilians in Musanze District, in the Northern Province of Rwanda.
The DRC followed by suspending Rwandan Air from its airspace, and the latter responded in similar currency, cancelling flights to Kinshasa, Lubumbashi, and Goma.
READ | Rwanda and DRC armies clash as tensions escalate in the region
For the whole of June 2022, numerous international and regional approaches to finding peace were considered, with Angolan president João Lourenço's Luanda process being mooted.
For the rest of 2022, it was counter-accusations and near-war situations with isolated incidences of gunfire exchanges and displacement of citizens, mostly in North Kivu.
In January of this year, both countries accused each other of preparing for war.
The same accusations dominated the rest of 2023.
The News24 Africa Desk is supported by the Hanns Seidel Foundation. The stories produced through the Africa Desk and the opinions and statements that may be contained herein do not reflect those of the Hanns Seidel Foundation.
