Rwandan President Paul Kagame met with UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy on Saturday, February 22, at Village Urugwiro to discuss the crisis in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). Talks focused on finding a lasting solution based on the realities on the ground.
A statement from the Office of the President said the meeting also addressed bilateral cooperation between Rwanda and the United Kingdom. Kagame stated Rwanda’s commitment to a peaceful resolution while stressing the need for its security concerns to be recognized.
“The President reiterated the importance of respecting the ongoing continental process to bring a durable solution to the conflict in DRC,” the statement read. Rwanda has raised concerns over collaboration between the Congolese armed forces and the FDLR, a militia linked to the perpetrators of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi, and recent threats by Congolese President Felix Tshisekedi against Rwanda’s government.
Lammy, in a video posted on his X account, said he had also spoken with Tshisekedi about the deteriorating situation in eastern DRC, where tensions continue to rise.
Fighting in eastern DRC escalated in January as the M23 rebel group, which accuses the Congolese government of targeting the Congolese Tutsi community, advanced into Goma and later seized Bukavu. The M23 has been clashing with government forces backed by militias, including the FDLR, a UN-designated terrorist group.
The African Union is supporting mediation efforts. The East African Community (EAC) and the Southern African Development Community (SADC) met on February 8 in Dar es Salaam, urging direct negotiations between Kinshasa and the M23 and an immediate ceasefire.
