NAIROBI, September 18. /TASS/. Moscow supports the diplomatic efforts of African countries and the international community for a peaceful settlement between the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Rwanda, new Russian Ambassador to Kigali Alexander Polyakov told TASS.
"The Russian side is following the events happening in the east of the Democratic Republic of the Congo with regret and concern. We have a consistent stand in favor of finding a political solution that would take into account the interests of all parties involved. We support the efforts of the international community, the African countries in particular, to help them [the DRC, Rwanda] come to an agreement and reasonable compromises that will put an end to the decades-long fratricidal bloodshed," the diplomat said.
Earlier, the East African Community (EAC) court accepted the DRC lawsuit against Rwanda for aggression and war crimes on the territory of the Congolese province North Kivu. The proceedings will begin in a public trial on September 26 this year, Deputy Minister for Justice of the Democratic Republic of the Congo in charge of international disputes Samuel Mbemba Kabuya said. As the deputy minister said, by the decision of the DRC prime minister he traveled to Arusha, Tanzania, where the EAC court is located, and demanded the lawsuit be considered, threatening with the republic’s withdrawal from the EAC. As a result, the lawsuit was accepted.
The DRC and Rwanda recently reached a ceasefire agreement in the eastern region of the DRC, where the rebel group March 23 Movement (M23) operates. The group was created in 2012 by deserters from the Congolese army, it is mediated by Angola. M23 units began fighting in the eastern region of the DRC in January 2021. They later managed to capture several towns and villages in North Kivu. The Congolese authorities accuse Rwanda of supporting these rebels.