Presidents Of Both Countries Will Meet In Angola Amid Tensions In Rwanda And Congo

  Kigali: Congo's President Felix Shisekedi will meet his Rwandan counterpart Paul Kagame in Angola amid strained relations between the ...

 

Kigali: Congo's President Felix Shisekedi will meet his Rwandan counterpart Paul Kagame in Angola amid strained relations between the Congo and Rwanda. Congolese spokesman Patrick Muayya told The Associated Press on Tuesday that the two leaders would discuss the armed conflict and bilateral relations in eastern Congo on Wednesday. M23 rebels last month captured a city in eastern Congo near the Ugandan border. Congo alleges that the M23 is backed by Rwanda and has accused Rwanda of occupying Congolese territory.

"They will discuss Rwanda's aggression in the Congo," Muayya said over the phone. Asked whether Congo still believes that Rwandan forces are helping M23 rebels in eastern Congo, Muayya said, "It is obvious." Rwanda has long denied the allegations of supporting the M23. The M23 is made up of mainly Congolese ethnic Tutsi fighters who say their government has not fulfilled its old commitments to reintroduce them into the national army. The African Union earlier this year asked Angola's president to mediate in the Congo-Rwanda dispute.

Kagame, in televised remarks on Monday, had harsh words for Congolese authorities and accused Congo of supporting the rebel group 'FDLR', which includes fighters involved in the 1994 genocide in Rwanda. Congo has denied the allegation.