French President Emmanuel Macron has called on Rwanda to cease its support to the M23 rebel fighters and withdraw its troops from Democratic Republic of Congo territory.
Speaking this Tuesday afternoon at a joint-press briefing with his DR Congo counterpart Fèlix Tshisekedi, President Macron promised to engage Rwanda President Paul Kagame with view of getting the latter to withdraw his troops from war-ravaged North Kivu Province of eastern DRC.
“Rwanda must stop its support for the M23 and withdraw its troops from eastern DRC. I will remind him of this in the coming days,” Macron said.
President Macron also revealed that the issue concerning the tensions between Rwanda and DR Congo was at the center of his recent exchange with Kagame last week.
“Regarding Rwanda and the M23, nothing will be excluded, we will continue with individual and targeted sanctions,” he said.
Several M23 officers and commanders are under sanctions from the European Union, the United Nations and the United States.
However, despite the sanctions, the M23 continue its operations in the east where the war has resulted unprecedented humanitarian catastrophe in the territories of Rutshuru, Nyiragongo and Masisi.
