On Thursday, Superior Defense Council met under the chairmanship of the Head of State, Félix Antoine Tshisekedi. Having discussed the security situation in the country's east, the Council made an announcement concerning relations with Rwanda accused of supporting the M23.
The Congolese government toughens the sanctions against Rwanda, which is accused of aggression. According to the government spokesperson, all agreements and pre-agreements signed with the Rwandan state are suspended. Kigali is also called upon to withdraw its troops from Congolese territory.
The measures taken before the decision included economic and trade restrictions such as the suspension of flights by Rwandair, the Rwandan national company which had just inaugurated twice-weekly flights to Lubumbashi and Goma.
The new measures announced on Wednesday also have an economic content. They concern, for example, the suspension of the cooperation between the gold mining company of Kivu and Maniema (Sakima SA) and the Rwandan company Dither LTD. By this agreement, Kinshasa had accepted that the gold extracted by Sakima is refined in Rwanda.
According to Félix Tshisekedi, should the Rwandan support for M23 continue, the Congolese authorities are ready to expulse the Rwandan ambassador stationed in Kinshasa or even break off the diplomatic relations altogether.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs expressed belief in the mediation provided by Angolan President Joao Lourenco and in the efforts of Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta. He called in a statement for immediate deployment of a regional force in eastern DRC.
The idea of this regional force is not new, but this time President Kenyatta is calling for its immediate "activation." He also announced a meeting of the regional defense commanders of the countries concerned to "finalize the preparations" for the deployment. The President also expressed his "worry" about the latest situation developments. He fears the conflict "will undermine the ongoing political process." A source at the Congolese presidency assures that a new round of consultations should be held in the Kenyan capital soon.
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