DR Congo Rejects ANY Dialogue With M23 Rebels Despite French FM’s Visit
The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) refused any communication with the armed organization known as the March 23 Movement (M23), despite prior claims that the latter was “open to direct dialogue.”
“I have ordered that all plans and instructions concerning an alleged dialogue with M23 terrorists be completely burned immediately,” said Guy Kabombo, defense minister of DRC, while addressing the armed forces.
Situation Sécuritaire à l'Est de la RDC, le Vice-Premier Ministre, ministre de la défense, @VPMDefenseRdc Me @GuyKabombo s'adresse aux #FARDC.@FARDC_Info pic.twitter.com/EtcduWBnOk
— Armée Congolaise – FARDC (@FARDC_Info) January 30, 2025
The M23 announced earlier in the day that it was eager to talk with the DRC government after claiming control of Goma, a major city in eastern DRC.
Corneille Nangaa, political leader of the Congo River Alliance (AFC), a politico-military party affiliated with the M23, made the remarks during a news conference in downtown Goma, the capital of North Kivu Province, a regional hub.
Nangaa stated that the M23 and the AFC “are open to direct dialogue” between “us and the regime.”
DRC President Felix Tshisekedi promised late Wednesday a “vigorous response” to the M23’s advances.
In his statement on national television, Tshisekedi stated that “a rigorous response is underway” to retake every inch of DRC land.
Tshisekedi met with French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot, who is also French President Emmanuel Macron’s envoy, on Thursday in Kinshasa, the DRC’s capital.
Both sides did not disclose specifics about the encounter. Barrot arrived in Rwanda that same day. Rwanda’s relations with the Democratic Republic of the Congo are strained as a result of the M23 problem.
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Last Saturday, the DRC government announced the recall of its diplomats from Rwanda and requested that Rwandan diplomats suspend all consular services within 48 hours.
The DRC has accused Rwanda of assisting the M23 rebels, which Rwanda denies.
Kigali accuses the DRC army of supporting and collaborating with remnants of the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda, a group accused of perpetrating the 1994 genocide against Tutsis in Rwanda.
Congolese M23 rebels show off seized equipment and weapons from the DR Congo military at the Goma airbase
— RT (@RT_com) January 31, 2025
Including:
— SU-25 aircraft
— Mi-8 helicopter
— Belarusian Berkut-MB UAVs
— Ukrainian Bastion-1 MLRS pic.twitter.com/vkpCO3hkYA
Multiple regional parties have launched peace attempts to prevent hostilities from escalating in the eastern DRC, as the M23 reportedly approaches Bukavu, the seat of the neighboring South Kivu province.
DR Congo Rejects ANY Dialogue With M23 Rebels Despite French FM’s Visit
