Belgian Foreign Minister Maxime Prévot has confirmed that Belgium will keep the conflict in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo high on the international community’s agenda, following a meeting of over an hour and a half with Congolese President Félix Tshisekedi.
“The violent atrocities occurring there daily are a scandal that we must make sure to stop as quickly as possible,” he stated.
Prévot met with Tshisekedi on Monday afternoon at the African Union City, a complex originally built in the 1960s by then President Mobutu Sese Seko in Kinshasa to host African leaders for the fourth summit of the Organisation of African Unity.
After his extended meeting with the Congolese president, Prévot was outspoken about Rwanda’s role in the conflict. “Belgium has been very clear on this issue, recognising that there is an aggressed territory, and therefore, also an aggressor,” he said.
He also emphasised the importance of strengthening and calming national dialogue within the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s borders. “The president is well aware of this necessity,” he added.
Prévot and Tshisekedi previously met in mid-February during the Munich Security Conference, shortly after Prévot became Foreign Minister. The Congolese presidency had welcomed Belgium’s clear condemnation of the Rwandan invasion and its advocacy for European and national sanctions against Kigali’s regime.
Before arriving in Kinshasa on Sunday, the Belgian Foreign Minister visited the presidents of Uganda and Burundi on Friday and Saturday. Both countries have military forces in eastern Congo, based on agreements with Kinshasa.
