"The EU remains deeply concerned about the deteriorating situation in eastern DR Congo [...] and reiterates its full support for the Luanda and Nairobi processes and calls on all parties to swiftly implement all the commitments assumed in this framework", EU diplomacy chief Josep Borrell said in a statement.
Borrell stressed that the EU "is still concerned about the increase in tensions between the DRC and Rwanda, in particular following the incident between a military plane from the DRC and the Rwandan Defense Forces on 24 January 2023, on the border between the two countries".
The statement calls for appeasement, containment and dialogue between the parties.
Tension between the two countries continues to rise, with DRC accusing the neighboring country of collaborating with rebels from the March 23 Movement (M23), a mostly Tutsi Congolese group operating in North Kivu province, and Rwanda to retort with accusations that Kinshasa supports the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR), composed of Hutus, responsible for the 1994 genocide in that country.
On November 23, 2022, it was decided, in Luanda, to cease hostilities two days later, which never went beyond the role of the summit mediated by the Angolan President, João Lourenço.
The security situation in the eastern region of the DRC was the topic under discussion at the meeting, when the heads of state "expressed their concern regarding the worsening of insecurity and the persistent military actions of the M23".
