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Macron urges Rwanda to 'halt support' for M23 rebels
[BBC] French President Emmanuel Macron has urged Rwanda to "halt its support" for the M23 rebels wreaking havoc in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo ...formerly the Congo Free State, Belgian Congo, Zaire, and who knows what else, not to be confused with the Brazzaville Congo aka Republic of Congo, which is much smaller and much more (for Africa) stable. DRC gave the world Patrice Lumumba and Joseph Mobutu, followed by years of tedious civil war. Its principle industry seems to be the production of corpses. With a population of about 74 million it has lots of raw material... In a joint presser with DR Congo's President Felix Tshisekedi, who is on a visit to Gay Paree, Mr Macron said: "Rwanda must halt its support for M23 and withdraw its forces from Congolese territory." The M23 first began operating in 2012 ostensibly to protect the Tutsi population in eastern DR Congo, which had long complained of persecution and discrimination. The UN, EU and US have said that Rwanda, which is also led by Tutsis, is backing the M23. The government in Kigali has repeatedly denied this. Last March, when asked to condemn Rwanda's reported support for the rebels, Mr Macron said he had been "very clear about the condemnation of the M23 and those who support it". Related: M23 rebels: 2024-03-17 Congo reinstates the death penalty after more than 20 years M23 rebels: 2024-03-13 Rwanda's President agrees to meet Felix Tshisekedi over eastern Congo crisis M23 rebels: 2024-02-23 'End support for M23 rebels, pull troops out of DR Congo' France tells Rwanda Posted by: Fred 2024-05-01 |
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