Congo and Rwanda sign preliminary peace agreement in Washington
DAKAR, Senegal (AP) — Representatives from Congo and Rwanda have signed the text of a peace agreement between the two countries in Washington, according to a joint press release from the two nations and the U.S. State Department on Wednesday.
Congo has accused Rwanda of backing M23 rebels in the east of the country. U.N. experts says the rebels are supported by about 4,000 troops from the neighboring nation.
The decades-long conflict escalated in January, when the M23 rebels advanced and seized the strategic Congolese city of Goma, followed by the town of Bukavu in February.
“The Agreement includes provisions on respect for territorial integrity and a prohibition of hostilities; disengagement, disarmament, and conditional integration of non-state armed groups,” said the statement posted to the State Department’s website.
The agreement signed included a commitment to respecting territorial integrity and the conditional integration of non-state armed groups. Both sides also committed to a ministerial-level meeting next week and invited the leaders of both countries to attend.
This is not the first time peace talks have been held. Talks hosted by Qatar in April fell apart.
Corneille Nangaa, leader of the Congo River Alliance, a coalition of rebel groups, told The Associated Press in April that international sanctions and Congo’s proposed minerals deal with the United States in search of peace would not stop the fighting.
M23 is one of about 100 armed groups that have been vying for a foothold in mineral-rich eastern Congo near the border with Rwanda. The conflict has created one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises and has displaced more than 7 million people.