Diplomacy: Trilateral meeting of the Presidents of the Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda and France on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly
At the initiative of the President of the French Republic, Emmanuel Macron, the Presidents of the Democratic Republic of Congo, Félix Tshisekedi, and the Republic of Rwanda, Paul Kagame, met on September 21, 2022 in New York.
The three Heads of State expressed their concern over the resurgence of violence in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of Congo and their resolve to provide a regional and coordinated response to the threat posed by armed terrorist groups in the region.
In order to create the conditions for a frank and constructive dialogue necessary for the relaunch of cooperation between the countries of the region and in accordance with the Luanda process, they agreed to act together to obtain as quickly as possible the withdrawal of the M23 from all occupied localities and the return of war displaced persons from these localities to their homes, with the support of the United Nations and its partners in the African Union, the East African Community, and the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region.
They also agreed to intensify their cooperation on a sustained basis to fight impunity and end the activities of armed groups in the Great Lakes region, including the Forces Démocratiques pour la Libération du Rwanda (FDLR). These efforts will take place within the framework of existing regional peace initiatives, including the Nairobi process.
