Obama tells Rwanda to end DRC rebel support
2012-12-19 08:06
Washington - US President Barack Obama on Tuesday called on
Rwandan President Paul Kagame to end all support for rebels in the
conflict-wracked Democratic Republic of Congo, the White House said.
It issued the strongly worded statement after Washington
imposed sanctions on two top leaders of the M23 rebel group, saying they had
used child soldiers and singled out children as targets.
In his telephone conversation with Kagame, Obama
"underscored that any support to the rebel group M23 is inconsistent with
Rwanda's desire for stability and peace", the White House said.
Political agreement
Obama stressed to Kagame "the importance of permanently
ending all support to armed groups in the DRC, abiding by the recent
commitments he made... and reaching a transparent and credible political
agreement that includes an end to impunity for M23 commanders and others"
who committed rights abuses, it said.
The DRC government has been battling the M23, former army
soldiers who UN experts say are backed by Rwanda, since they launched a mutiny
in April.
Several of the group's leaders have been hit by UN sanctions
over alleged atrocities.
Obama called for a political agreement in the DRC that
"addresses the underlying regional security, economic and governance
issues while upholding the DRC's sovereignty and territorial integrity."
The White House said he had delivered the same message to
DRC President Joseph Kabila.
Governance problems
During their talks, Obama and Kagame also discussed the
DRC's "longstanding governance problems", according to the White
House.
"President Obama welcomed President Kagame's commitment
to moving forward in finding a peaceful solution for eastern DRC," it
added.
Also on Tuesday, the United States launched a fresh appeal
for the arrest and prosecution of two rebel leaders from Rwanda and DRC wanted
by the International Criminal Court for war crimes.
Sylvestre Mudacumura, the head of Rwanda's main Hutu rebel
group and DRC's Bosco Ntaganda, an ex-general who spurred the ongoing mutiny in
the east, are both the subject of outstanding ICC warrants.
