Rebel Congolese claim US failed as mediator in Congo conflict
Rebel Congolese claim that the United States has failed in its role as a mediator in efforts to end the conflict in the mineral-rich eastern part of the country, as the Trump administration seeks to open crucial reserves in the region to the American government and businesses.
According to a letter addressed to US Secretary of State Marco Rubio by Congolese rebel leader Corneille Nangaa, Washington did not pressure the Congolese government regarding its alleged violations of peace commitments.
The letter, seen by the Associated Press on Saturday, was signed by the Alliance of the Congo River, which includes the rebel group M23, supported by Rwanda.
Congo and Rwanda reached a peace agreement last year, negotiated under the US auspices, to end the long-standing conflict in eastern Congo. This agreement sets out the terms of an economic partnership between the three countries and paves the way for agreements on rare earth minerals.
At the time, US President Donald Trump praised the leaders of the two nations: Presidents Félix Tshisekedi (Congo) and Paul Kagame (Rwanda). Since then, he has often highlighted his role in negotiating this agreement. However, fighting continues in the region, with rebel and government forces accusing each other of violating the terms of the agreement.
The letter sent to Mr. Rubio also criticized the United States for sanctioning “critical actors of power” in Kinshasa, the Congolese capital, last week. This referred to sanctions imposed by the US on former Congolese President Joseph Kabila, accused of financing and supporting rebels.
Earlier this year, Washington also sanctioned the Rwandan army and four of its top officials for supporting the M23.
“Your administration has not imposed any sanctions or even issued a simple warning to the leaders of Kinshasa, whose uncompromising and arrogant attitude questions the impartiality and neutrality of the American facilitator/mediator,” the letter stated.
“The lack of clearly identifiable corrective measures raises questions about the facilitation’s ability to preserve, in the long term, the essential requirements of impartiality and neutrality for its credibility,” it added.
Congolese, American, and UN experts accuse Rwanda of supporting the M23, whose numbers have grown from a few hundred members in 2021 to around 6,500 fighters, according to the United Nations.
Eastern Congo has been plagued by decades of unrest, with government forces clashing with over 100 armed groups, the most powerful being the M23, often for control of its mineral wealth.
M23 fighters made significant advances in the region early last year, seizing Goma and other major cities and rapidly expanding their presence.
While American mediation has helped ease regional tensions, it has not stopped the escalation of ground fighting, noted Kristof Titeca of the Associated Press, a professor at the University of Antwerp and a specialist in governance and conflicts in Central Africa.
Mark Banchereau and Saleh Mwanamilongo, The Associated Press
Context: Rebel group M23 in Congo is accused of being supported by Rwanda in the conflict in the mineral-rich eastern part of the country. Fact Check: The United States, under the Trump administration, was involved in negotiations for a peace agreement between Congo and Rwanda to end the conflict in eastern Congo.
