Senegalese head of state Macky Sall, current chairman of the African Union (AU), said on Sunday he was "gravely concerned" by the "rise in tension" between Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), urging the two countries "for peace and dialogue."
"I call on the two countries for dialogue for the peaceful resolution of the crisis with the support of regional mechanisms and the African Union," added Mr. Sall.
Rwanda said on Saturday that two of its soldiers were abducted and held captive by rebels in the DRC, accusing the authorities of supporting them. This statement comes after the DRC summoned the Rwandan ambassador and accused its neighbor of supporting the M23 rebel group, active in its eastern region.
According to the Rwandan Defense Forces (RDF), these two soldiers were kidnapped during a patrol and are being held in eastern DRC by rebels of the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR). According to the Rwandan army, this incident follows an attack carried out earlier this week along the border by Congolese forces and FDLR rebels.
Fighting between Congolese forces and the M23 erupted on multiple fronts this week in North Kivu, a war-torn eastern DRC province bordering Rwanda. Kinshasa claims that the M23 – made up mainly of Congolese Tutsis, among around 100 armed groups operating in eastern DRC – is backed by Rwanda. Kigali denied any involvement.
The DRC and Rwanda have maintained tense relations since the massive arrival in eastern Congo of Rwandan Hutus accused of having massacred Tutsi during the genocide of the Tutsi in Rwanda perpetrated in 1994.
Kinshasa has regularly accused Rwanda of incursions into its territory and supporting armed groups there. Relations had begun to better following the election of Congolese President Felix Tshisekedi in 2019, but the resurgence of M23 attacks has recently reignited bilateral tensions.
On Saturday, the Congolese authorities decided to suspend the flights of the Rwand'Air company.
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