Rubio presses Rwanda leader for immediate ceasefire in DR Congo

WASHINGTON: US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Tuesday pressed Rwanda for an immediate ceasefire in the Democratic Republic of Congo as he voiced alarm over Kigali-backed rebels entering the key 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.

The new top US diplomat “urged an immediate ceasefire in the region, and for all parties to respect sovereign territorial integrity,” it said.

Kagame said Wednesday 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 for years has warned Rwanda about its support for the M23.

Under the previous administration of Joe Biden, the United States negotiated a fragile deal to de-escalate tensions.

The top diplomat for Africa under Biden, Molly Phee, told AFP before leaving office that the United States had proposed expanding a major infrastructure project to the troubled and mineral-rich east of the DRC, but accused Rwanda of walking away from diplomacy.

The M23 in recent days have advanced on Goma, entering the city and taking control of the airport.

Rwanda has denied charges it is seeking control of minerals, saying its aim is to tackle an armed group called the FDLR, primarily composed of Hutu militants formed in the wake of the Rwandan genocide.