Blinken's delicate mediation between Rwanda, Congo

While in Congo's capital, Kinshasa, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken chose cautionary words to set the tone for the sensitive talks with President Paul Kagame on Thursday in neighboring Rwanda, the last stop on his trip. After meeting with his Congolese counterpart, Christophe Lutundula, and President Felix Tshisekedi, Blinken said the US sought an end to the violence in eastern Congo.  

Blinken's call for peace refers primarily to the resurgent M23 rebel group. The rebel movement briefly captured the eastern Congolese provincial capital of Goma in 2012 before Congolese troops backed by UN peacekeeping (MONUSCO) forces drove them from the city.

"We are very concerned in light of credible reports that Rwanda has supported M23. We call on all parties in the region to cease all support to M23," Blinken urged.

Blinken's main goal in the mediation efforts was for more peace and security in Rwanda and Congo. However, he seemed to base his criticism of Rwanda's leadership on an unpublished new report prepared by experts on behalf of the United Nations. According to the AP news agency, the UN report speaks of "solid evidence" that members of Rwanda's armed forces were deployed in eastern Congo to bolster the M23 rebel group.

Rwanda, Congo, counteraccusations

Rwanda and Congo have rejected the allegations of supporting rebel groups against each other. Instead, Rwandan authorities accuse Kinshasa of providing sanctuary to Hutu fighters involved in the 1994 Rwandan genocide against the Tutsi. Hutu extremists killed more than 800,000 Tutsis and moderate Hutus in 100 days. On the other hand, Congo has accused its neighbor of meddling in its internal affairs and seeking to destabilize the vast mineral-rich country.

Tensions between the two countries run deep, and recent fighting in eastern Congo has deepened rifts once again.

"Whatever the government of Rwanda could do in the DRC or our region would be about protecting our people and protecting the territorial integrity of our country and its sovereignty. It is not about supporting M23," Rwandan Foreign Minister Vincent Biruta said, defending his country's stance in a joint press conference.

Biruta said the solution lies in dealing with the root cause of the security crisis in Congo. "If you want a lasting solution for the problems in eastern DRC or in our region, you just need to deal with the root causes of the problem," Biruta said, alluding to the presence and the preservation of the FDLR (Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda rebel group) in eastern Congo and their collaboration with FRDC (Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo). 

To what extent can the top diplomat of the United States contribute to defusing the explosive situation? According to peace researcher Wondo Omanyundu, not much.

Geopolitical tensions in Africa

Rwanda, however, is unlikely to risk a complete break with the United States, Omanyundu told DW. In 2012, after M23 rebels temporarily captured the city of Goma in eastern Congo, the US imposed sanctions on Rwanda.

"It's not that far this time. Rwanda needs the US, but Washington also needs Kigali in the regional power game vis-a-vis Russia and China," Omanyundu said, pointing to the interdependence. "In the current situation, Rwanda is more likely to try to be defensive."

Blinken's second visit to Africa as the US top diplomat was overshadowed by the geopolitical conflict between Russia and the West. Securing influence in Africa is critical for both world powers. 

Rwanda remains a crucial country for the US, according to Wondo Omanyundu, "a country the US relies on upon in the region to establish its policy in the context of a kind of unspoken Cold War."

According to the analyst, the US continues to rely on Rwanda's diplomatic skills, which are very useful to it, especially in peacekeeping missions in Africa," said Omanyundu.

Blinken's visit came just days after Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov visited several African capitals.

The US secretary of state began his Africa tour in South Africa. Blinken first promoted a closer alliance with the United States to government officials in South Africa. However, President Cyril Ramaphosa's government has, until now, not condemned Russia's invasion of Ukraine. 

Human rights not respected

The talks with President Paul Kagame in Kigali also focused on the human rights situation in Rwanda. One prominent case is that of Paul Rusesabagina, a fierce Kagame critic sentenced to 25 years in Rwanda for supporting terrorism last year. 

During the genocide, he housed and saved many people from death as a hotel manager. Hollywood later depicted his heroism in the movie "Hotel Rwanda," starring Don Cheadle. 

Blinken said the US still believes "that Rusesabagina's trial was not fair," but his counterpart Biruta strongly refuted the accusation. 

As Blinken's Africa trip draws to a close, the problems in the Great Lakes region remain immense. But, at least Blinken was able to report a small success that the governments in Kinshasa and Kigali want to resume their direct talks.

Philipp Sandner contributed to this article

Edited by: Chrispin Mwakideu