The African Union (AU) on Saturday lauded a peace deal signed between the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Rwanda as a “significant milestone” towards bringing stability to the conflict-ridden eastern DRC.
This region has endured over 30 years of conflict, which has recently intensified with the advance of an armed militia reportedly backed by Rwanda.
Mahmoud Ali Youssouf, head of the AU Commission, who witnessed the signing of the agreement in Washington on Friday, “welcomed this significant milestone and commended all efforts aimed at advancing peace, stability, and reconciliation in the region,” according to an AU statement.
He also “appreciated the constructive and supportive role played by the US and the State of Qatar in facilitating dialogue and consensus that led to this development.”
The agreement follows a rapid territorial expansion by the M23, an ethnic Tutsi rebel force supported by Rwanda, across the mineral-rich eastern DRC this year, including the capture of the key city of Goma.
While the deal does not explicitly address the M23’s gains in the conflict-torn area, it calls for Rwanda to cease “defensive measures” it has undertaken.
Rwanda has consistently denied providing military support to the M23 but has demanded the dismantling of another armed group, the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR), which was formed by ethnic Hutus involved in the 1994 Rwandan genocide’s massacres of Tutsis.
The newly signed agreement explicitly calls for the “neutralisation” of the FDLR.
