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The leaders of the Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda have called for a cease-fire in eastern Congo in a bid to end the latest deadly chapter in a three-decade conflict.<\/p>\n
Presidents F\u00e9lix Tshisekedi of Congo and Paul Kagame of Rwanda committed to an \u201cimmediate and unconditional cease-fire,\u201d according to a joint statement issued with Qatar, where the two leaders gathered for an unannounced meeting on Tuesday.<\/p>\n
They did not say how the cease-fire would be carried out or monitored. But the meeting was the leaders\u2019 most significant step since a Rwanda-backed armed group<\/a>, called M23, captured eastern Congo\u2019s two largest cities and large swathes of the territory in an offensive that began in January<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n \u201cThis is the first time a concrete statement is coming from both leaders,\u201d Oluwole Ojewale, a scholar with the Institute for Security Studies who focuses on Central Africa, said in an interview.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n Mr. Ojewale said that the United States could have been in a position to convene peace talks, but given that it was not a priority for the Trump administration, Qatar stepped in. But he said the bigger failing belonged to the African Union, whose efforts to bring the two leaders together had been unsuccessful.<\/p>\n \u201cIt appears now that the countries that actually have the leverage to bring warring African leaders to the table are countries like Turkey, Saudi Arabia, the U.A.E. \u2014 who are completely outside the shores of the continent,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n The fighting in eastern Congo has displaced more than 700,000 people since January, according to the United Nations refugee agency, and killed thousands of others.<\/p>\n The leaders\u2019 surprise meeting came a day after the European Union announced sanctions<\/a> on the Rwandan government and military officials over the backing of M23. Rwanda retaliated by severing diplomatic ties with Belgium, a country that was once the colonial ruler in both Congo and Rwanda, and which has been a leading voice for sanctions on Rwanda over its involvement in the conflict.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n Mr. Tshisekedi and Mr. Kagame said in the statement<\/a> that they wanted to \u201cestablish solid foundations for lasting peace\u201d in eastern Congo, where three decades of fighting over ethnic tensions and access to land have killed millions of people.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n M23, a group created in 2012, is armed and commanded by Rwanda\u2019s army, according to the United Nations, the United States and the European Union. Rwanda denies backing the group and says that the violence in neighboring Congo is threatening its security.<\/p>\n M23 now controls Goma and Bukavu, two key hubs on the border with Rwanda.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n Whether M23 will heed the calls for a cease-fire remains to be seen. It has denied any affiliation with Rwanda\u2019s government, and canceled a meeting with Congo\u2019s government that was also scheduled for Tuesday.<\/p>\n Neither Congo\u2019s weak army nor international pressure, including a unanimous condemnation from the U.N. Security Council, has been able to stop<\/a> the group\u2019s advance. M23, which has 6,000 to 9,000 soldiers, according to U.N. estimates, now controls an area the size of Louisiana in eastern Congo that is rich in gold and other minerals like coltan.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n