Antony Blinken also congratulated Angolan Foreign Minister Tete António for his diplomacy in favor of peace in eastern DR Congo, according to a statement from the State Department.
Antony Blinken also expressed his appreciation for the commitment of DR Congo and Rwanda to take further steps to de-escalate the situation, and expressed his support for the "vital" ad hoc Verification Mechanism created for this issue and led by Angola.
The ceasefire came into effect last Sunday in eastern Congolese territory, where Kinshasa is fighting with the rebel group March 23 Movement (M23), supported by Kigali.
The M23 is a rebel group composed mainly of Congolese Tutsis and operates mainly in the province. After a conflict between 2012 and 2013, DR Congo and the group signed a peace agreement in December. During the fighting, the Congolese army was supported by UN troops.
The group launched a new offensive in October 2022, sparking a diplomatic crisis between the DR Congo and Rwanda over its role in the conflict.
Kigali has accused Kinshasa of supporting the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR), an armed rebel group founded by and composed mainly of Hutus, responsible for the 1994 genocide in Rwanda.
