Rwanda : Kabila has the primary responsibility of returning peace In Eastern DRC – US Govt

President Kagame with US Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, and DRC President, Joseph Kabila, following talks in New York on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly (Photo: State Department)

The US Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs Johnnie Carson has said that President Joseph Kabila of Congo has the primary responsibility of protecting the citizens of the Democratic Republic of Congo regardless of their ethnicity.

Carson said this during a press conference call with journalists from the New York Foreign Press Center where he discussed several issues on DR. Congo conflict, Mali, Senegal, Sudan and Somalia. Journalists from Rwanda took part from Kigali at the US embassy.

He was responding to a question from Kigali on what the US doing in bringing DRC to address the issues making M23 rebel Group fight its government in Eastern part of the country.

“Our desire is to see peace in DRC, just like it in the neighbouring countries and we want to see what people enjoy in these other countries being enjoyed by the people of Congo.”

President Kabila has the responsibility of protecting all the Congolese citizens irrespective of ethnicity. He also has the responsibility of protecting the women in Eastern Congo from the violence committed against them,” said Carson.

He also said the only way Kabila could do this is to eliminate all rebel activities in his countries including M23 and FDLR Interahamwe militias fighting Rwanda based in the Jungles of Congo.

A U.N. group of experts have released different reports in past months accusing Rwandan defense officials of backing the M23 rebel group.

Rwanda has continuously denied those allegations, saying that the problem is externalized and yet the issues are within Congo. Rwanda also says that solving the crisis in Eastern Congo will be impossible if the international community continues to define the issue erroneously.

In a meeting convened last week alongside the UN General Assembly in New York, President Kagame said that regional initiatives are key to finding a lasting solution to the Congo problem.

He called for the international community support for regional initiatives saying that “they are the best option we have”.