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- The US says it wants a lasting solution to the crisis in the DRC, and Rwanda has a part to play.
- Rwandan President Paul Kagame reassured the US he was in support of the Luanda and Nairobi processes.
- DRC President Felix Tshisekedi promised to declare war on Rwanda during his second term in office.
Rwandan President Paul Kagame and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken met on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, on Tuesday to discuss the security situation in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).
This was Kagame's second meeting with a top US diplomat in the space of three months to discuss the DRC; in November last year, Kagame hosted Avril Haines, the US director of national intelligence, in Kigali.
In a statement, US Department of State spokesperson Mathew Miller said Blinken and Kagame "discussed how to advance efforts to ease tensions in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo. The secretary reiterated the need for all actors to take concrete steps to resolve the situation".
Addressing the press ahead of their meeting, Blinken added the US was committed to African-led efforts to find a lasting solution.
He said:
"We very much appreciate the work that's been done, especially over the last couple of months, and your leadership [Kagame's] in trying to find a positive, peaceful way forward," Blinken said.
There are two processes underway to resolve the crisis in the eastern DRC.
The Nairobi process is an East African Community-led roadmap for resolving inter-DRC violence involving more than 100 paramilitary factions known as "Mai Mai" as well as the larger M23 rebel group.
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There is also the Luanda Process, which works on ending hostilities between the DRC and Rwanda, which it accuses of sponsoring M23.
During the run-up to his 20 December re-election, DRC President Felix Tshisekedi said if granted a second term, he could go to war with Kagame over the M23 issue.
With his inauguration set for Saturday, the war drums are beating.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.
