Addis Ababa, Ethiopia – Congolese president Félix Tshisekedi will participate in an African Union summit this weekend but will not attend a meeting on the crisis in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, the president’s office told AFP on Thursday.
The M23 armed group, supported by Rwandan forces, made advances in the province of South Kivu on Wednesday, after a few days of respite following their rapid offensive that saw them claim the city of Goma in North Kivu province at the end of January.
An African Union Peace and Security Council meeting on the crisis in eastern DRC is due to take place on Friday.
When asked by AFP, a spokesperson for the Peace and Security Council was not able to confirm if Tshisekedi and his Rwandan counterpart Paul Kagame would attend together in person.
The formal AU summit is due to take place on Saturday and Sunday and will include the election of the African Union Commission’s new president — the highest representative of the pan-African organisation.
“The president will come to Addis Ababa and will participate in the leaders’ summit” on February 15, the Congolese president’s communications unit told AFP, without mentioning Sunday’s session.
“It is the prime minister (Judith Suminwa Tuluka) who will attend the Peace and Security Council”, the unit added with regard to Friday’s meeting.
In a statement released Thursday evening, the Congolese president’s office announced that Tshisekedi had arrived in Germany to participate in the Munich Security Conference from February 14 to 16.
“These foundations will allow President Tshisekedi to present the reality of the conflict and ask for greater cooperation from the international community to resolve this crisis and demilitarise the Great Lakes region”, the statement read.
On Saturday, at a summit of eastern and southern African leaders, Tshisekedi participated by video.
The recent fighting in eastern DRC, which has been scarred by violence for the last 30 years, has led to at least 2,900 deaths, according to the United Nations.
Since the recent intensification of the conflict, Kinshasa has been calling in vain for international sanctions against Kigali.
There have been more calls for a de-escalation and a ceasefire from the international community, while some countries and the UN have called for Rwandan troops to withdraw from eastern DRC.
© Agence France-Presse
