JOHANNESBURG/DOUALA Cameroon
Angola’s President Joao Lourenco demanded the immediate withdrawal of Rwandan troops from Congolese territory on Wednesday amid fighting with the M23 rebels in Goma.
Lourenco, who is the African Union (AU) mediator between Congo and Rwanda, also urged the resumption of peace talks with the M23 and all other groups operating on Congolese territory.
He said in a statement that he recorded with great apprehension the serious developments registered in eastern Congo which have culminated with the rebel’s occupying Goma, the capital of the North Kivu province.
At least 25 people have died in Goma and nine in Rwanda, with hundreds injured in the fighting.
Clashes this week also killed 17 peacekeepers, including 13 from South Africa, three from Malawi, and one from the UN.
The M23 rebels, allegedly backed by Rwanda, claimed control of Goma on Monday, but residents said the strategic city seems to still be under the control of the rebels and the army. Rwanda’s President Paul Kagame has frequently denied claims his country supports the rebels.
Lourenco said the occupation of Goma by the M23 represents a serious violation of the Luanda Peace Process.
He said the AU held separate meetings with Congolese President Felix Tshisekedi and Kagame last February and March, respectively, with both agreeing to prioritize a ceasefire, the neutralization of the Democratic Liberation Forces of Rwanda (FDLR) and lifting security measures adopted by Rwanda, including the withdrawal of Rwanda Defense Forces from Congolese territory.
South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa urged respect Wednesday for Congo’s territorial integrity as M23 rebels.
“The territorial integrity of the DRC must be respected in accordance with the United Nations Charter on sovereignty, territorial integrity, and political independence of states,” he said in a statement.
He spoke with Kagame on Monday about the escalating violence in eastern Congo and deaths of peacekeepers. They agreed on the need for a ceasefire and the resumption of peace talks, according to the statement from Ramaphosa’s office.
Ramaphosa extended condolences to the families of the fallen peacekeepers. “We honor all the lives lost and extend our condolences to their families, governments, and citizens,” he said.
He described the situation in Goma, and in Sake, where South African troops and other peacekeepers are stationed, as “tense, volatile, and unpredictable.”
“South Africa’s military presence in eastern DRC (Democratic Republic of Congo) is not a declaration of war against any country or state,” he said.
