FILE PHOTO: Congolese people carry their belongings as they flee from their villages around Sake in Masisi territory, following clashes between M23 rebels and the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (FARDC); towards Goma, North Kivu province of the Democratic Republic of Congo February 7, 2024. REUTERS/Arlette Bashizi/File Photo
(Reuters) - Democratic Republic of Congo has accused Rwanda of creating obstacles in ongoing negotiations to resolve the M23 rebel conflict in eastern Congo that has displaced more than 1.7 million people.
The comments by Congolese Foreign Minister Therese Kayikwamba Wagner to the U.N. Security Council on Tuesday follow accusations from her Rwandan counterpart that Congo had refused to sign a deal agreed in late August as part of peace talks mediated by Angola.
The Tutsi-led M23 has been waging an insurgency in Congo's violence-torn east since 2022. Congo, the United Nations, and others accuse neighbouring Rwanda of backing the group with its own troops and weapons.
Rwanda, which denies supporting M23, says it has taken what it calls defensive measures and accuses Congo of fighting alongside a Hutu rebel group, the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR), which has attacked Tutsis in both countries.
The two sides say they have agreed in principle to a plan that would see Congo "neutralise" the FDLR and Rwanda disengage. Wagner said Congo had drawn up a plan for its side of the deal, but accused Rwanda of offering only a promise of withdrawal "with no guarantees or concrete details".
She said Rwanda was also making its withdrawal conditional on Congo first dealing with the FDLR.
"For this process to make sense, it is imperative that these two components be implemented in tandem," she said.
Two other points of contention in talks are Rwanda's rejection of any clause in the peace agreement that would refer to Rwandan responsibility in the conflict and Congo's insistence on the need for a regional justice mechanism, she added.
The talks are being conducted in the Angolan capital Luanda as part of a long-running initiative to de-escalate tensions between Congo and Rwanda.
The next minister-level meeting will take place in Luanda within the next couple of days, an Angolan representative told the U.N. council.
(Writing by Alessandra Prentice; Editing by Alex Richardson)
