Rwanda’s Kagame Gives In To US Calls For Urgent Ceasefire In DR Congo
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio encouraged Rwanda on Tuesday for an immediate ceasefire in the Democratic Republic of Congo, expressing concern over Kigali-backed rebels entering the vital city of Goma.
In a call with Rwandan President Paul Kagame, Rubio “stressed the United States is deeply troubled by escalation of the ongoing conflict in eastern DRC, particularly the fall of Goma to the Rwandan-backed M23 armed group,” a State Department statement said.
USA Secretary of State stands with DRC & condemns the assault on Goma by the Rwanda-backed M23 and affirmed the United States’ respect for the sovereignty of the DRC. https://t.co/tMLrxh8T3U pic.twitter.com/kNkM7ExwwC
— Rev Christine Coleman (@sos_rwanda) January 28, 2025
The new top US ambassador “urged an immediate ceasefire in the region, and for all parties to respect sovereign territorial integrity,” according to the statement.
On Wednesday, Kagame stated that he and Rubio had a “productive conversation” about “the need to ensure a ceasefire” in eastern DRC.
“I look forward to working with the Trump Administration to create the prosperity and security that the people of our region deserve,” Kagame said on social media platform X.
The United States has been warning Rwanda for years about its support for the M23.
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Under Joe Biden’s previous administration, the US struck a tenuous agreement to de-escalate tensions.
Molly Phee, Biden’s top Africa diplomat, told AFP before leaving office that the US had proposed expanding a huge infrastructure project in the DRC’s unstable and mineral-rich east but accused Rwanda of abandoning diplomacy.
In recent days, the M23 has pushed on Goma, capturing control of the city and the airport.
Rwanda has refuted allegations that it is pursuing mineral domination, claiming that its goal is to combat the FDLR, an armed group created mostly by Hutu militants in the aftermath of the Rwandan genocide.
Rwanda’s Kagame Gives In To US Calls For Urgent Ceasefire In DR Congo
