Belgium’s top diplomat said on Tuesday that the security situation in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo has not improved. This statement comes despite an in-principle truce signed a month ago by the government and the M23 armed group. Foreign Minister Maxime Prevot expressed confidence in the ongoing, Qatar-mediated peace talks between the two warring parties.
A ceasefire was signed in July, which was aimed at a permanent end to the fighting that has devastated the DRC’s east. The deadline for finalizing an agreement by August 18 has now slipped, but both sides are still engaged in the peace process.
Belgium’s top diplomat said a “large number” of violent acts and tragic killings have been committed in the country’s eastern region. The foreign minister called for the ceasefire agreement to be implemented urgently, to finally bring an end to all the violence.
He was speaking at a press conference in Kinshasa alongside the speaker of the DRC parliament, Vital Kamerhe. The diplomat was making his visit as part of a multi-country African tour that started in Congo and continues to Kenya.