US Ambassador to the Democratic Republic of Congo Lucy Tamlyn has met President Fèlix Tshisekedi to deliberate on matters concerning the ongoing violence in the eastern part of the country.
On Wednesday, Ambassador Tamlyn paid a courtesy call on Tshisekedi in Kinshasa where the two leaders discussed most notably the security situation in the eastern region as well as other matters of common interest.
“We conducted very high-level diplomacy. You know about our initiative through the American Director of National Intelligence (DNI), Avril Haines, who came here to discuss the confidence-building measures that are important to take. We will continue in this direction,” Ambassador Tamlyn said.
The meeting between Ambassador Tamlyn and President Tshisekedi took place following demonstrations that broke out in Kinshasa where locals protested against certain Western embassies in Kinshasa last weekend.
The demonstrators accused the US and other foreign embassies of complicity to the security situation in eastern DRC.
In a briefing note, the US Embassy reiterated its call for all non-state armed groups, including the US-sanctioned M23, to cease hostilities and lay down their arms.
The US also openly urged Rwanda to end its support for the M23, strongly condemning the human rights violations and abuse of international humanitarian law that has been perpetrated by this group.
On the ground, new clashes were reported on Wednesday in several regions just outside the town of Shasha, in Masisi territory of North Kivu Province.
Meanwhile, the Congolese Armed Forces (FARDC) in collaboration with the young Wazalendo patriots group are working to reopen the Sake-Minova road that was cut off by the M23 at Shasha, in order to supply the strategic city of Goma with food and other necessities.
