US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken is in Rwanda, the last stop on a three-country tour of Africa. There he articulated Washington's new strategy for engaging sub-Saharan Africans. Countries as “equal partners”.
Blinken's arrival in Rwanda comes at a particularly difficult time for the Great Lakes region of Africa, with the small country of Central Africa at odds with its vast neighbor Congo and both governments.
During Thursday's meeting with Rwandan President Paul Kagame, Brinken will discuss efforts to defuse tensions. is expected. Rwanda has rejected a new report by UN experts that said there is "solid evidence" that members of the Rwandan army are conducting operations in eastern Congo to support the M23 rebel group.
Blinken said reports that Rwanda was backing her M23 appeared "credible". After meeting with officials in Congo on Tuesday, he said the US supports Africa-led efforts to end the fighting.
Rwandan authorities accused the Congo of sheltering Hutu fighters who played a role in his 1994 Rwandan genocide, which killed Tutsi and moderate Hutu. ing. There have long been tensions between the two countries. In the late 1990s, Rwanda sent troops deep into Congo on two occasions and joined forces with rebel leader Laurent Kabila to oust the country's longtime dictator Mobutu Seseseko.
Rwanda and Congo have denied accusations of aiding rebels, and Rwandan authorities called the latest report by UN experts a ``divert from the real problem''. rejected as a move. Rwanda also maintains that it cannot meet its security needs while armed fugitives from the genocide continue to operate from within Congolese territory.
Jul 6 Meetings between Kagame and Congolese President Felix Tshisekedi in Angola on Sunday issued a statement calling for a return to normal diplomatic relations, an end to hostilities and an "immediate and unconditional withdrawal" of the M23s. in eastern Congo.
However, his M23, mostly Tutsis from Congo, continues to be located near the border with Uganda, keeping Rwanda in the spotlight.
Last month, in a letter to Blinken, the chairman of the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee called for a comprehensive review of US policy toward Rwanda, widely described by human rights groups as authoritarian. expressed concern over Washington's support for Rwanda. oppressive and inconsistent with American values.
The State Department said Blinken in Rwanda also raises concerns about democracy and human rights, including cross-border crackdowns and limited space for opposition forces.
Also on the agenda is Paul Rusesabagina, a US permanent resident who was imprisoned in Rwanda last year after being convicted on terrorism-related charges. Rusesabagina, who became famous for protecting Tutsis during his genocide in his movie Hotel Rwanda, was awarded the US Presidential Medal of Freedom.
In a statement preceding Brinken's visit, the Rwandan government said: bilateral relations. It acknowledged that negotiations would include the situation in Rusesabagina.
On this trip Blinken also visited South Africa, where he described a strategy "rooted in the recognition that sub-Saharan Africa is a major geopolitical force." .
