US secretary of state Marco Rubio spoke to Angolan foreign minister Tete Antonio on Wednesday about finding "a peaceful end to the conflict" in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), the state department said in a statement.
Washington has warned of possible sanctions against Rwandan and DRC officials due to the conflict. In a diplomatic note seen by Reuters earlier this month, the US said stability in the region will require the Rwandan military "to withdraw its forces and advanced weaponry" from DRC.
An advance by Rwanda-backed M23 rebels has marked the gravest escalation in more than a decade of a long-running conflict in eastern DRC, rooted in the spillover of Rwanda's 1994 genocide into Congo and the struggle for control of Congo's vast minerals resources.
Rwanda rejects allegations from DRC, the UN and Western powers that it supports M23 with arms and troops.
Top US diplomat Rubio speaks to Angola about conflict in eastern DRC
Image: REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein/Pool
US secretary of state Marco Rubio spoke to Angolan foreign minister Tete Antonio on Wednesday about finding "a peaceful end to the conflict" in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), the state department said in a statement.
Washington has warned of possible sanctions against Rwandan and DRC officials due to the conflict. In a diplomatic note seen by Reuters earlier this month, the US said stability in the region will require the Rwandan military "to withdraw its forces and advanced weaponry" from DRC.
An advance by Rwanda-backed M23 rebels has marked the gravest escalation in more than a decade of a long-running conflict in eastern DRC, rooted in the spillover of Rwanda's 1994 genocide into Congo and the struggle for control of Congo's vast minerals resources.
Rwanda rejects allegations from DRC, the UN and Western powers that it supports M23 with arms and troops.
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