Mohammed Ould Ghazouani et Félix Tshisekedi

Insecurity in the East of the DRC: Félix Tshisekedi receives the support of President Ghazouani

The President of Mauritania, Mohammed Ould Ghazouani, reiterated this Thursday his support for his counterpart Félix Tshisekedi who is facing a security crisis in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

After Lomé (Togo), President Félix Tshisekedi went to Nouakchott, Mauritania, for a 48-hour working visit. When he got off the plane, he was welcomed by his counterpart Mohammed Ould Ghazouani, President of the Islamic Republic of Mauritania and current President of the African Union.

After receiving military honors, review of the troops, greetings from the respective delegations, the two Heads of State retired for a few minutes to the presidential lounge of the airport for a first interview. At the start of the evening, Presidents Félix Tshisekedi and Mohammed Ould Ghazouani had a one-on-one meeting for one hour followed by a working session extended to their respective delegations.

The two Heads of State spoke about the security crisis in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo and multi-sectoral bilateral cooperation between Congo and Mauritania. They want to revitalize bilateral relations, particularly in the areas of trade, fishing and education.

Regarding insecurity in Eastern Congo, Mohammed Ould Ghazouani pledged his constant diplomatic support to the Luanda and Nairobi peace processes to restore Peace and Security in Eastern DRC.

It should be noted that this friendship and working visit by President Tshisekedi to Mauritania is the first since his accession to power. He is the second President of the DRC to set foot on Mauritanian soil after Marshal Mobutu in 1973.

Eastern DRC has been plunged into a security crisis for several years. Armed terrorist groups, notably the M23 and the ADF, regularly carry out deadly attacks and confront the Congolese army. Despite the state of siege established in this region of the DRC and the multiple actions undertaken by the Congolese government, the situation still remains alarming.