“Rwanda must stop its support for the M23 and withdraw its forces from the DRC”, Emmanuel Macron

President Félix-Antoine Tshisekedi, on an official visit to France, met this Tuesday April 30 with his French counterpart, Emmanuel Macron. During this visit, the French president urged Rwanda to “cease all support” to the M23 rebels and to “withdraw its forces” from the DRC.

French President Emmanuel Macron urged Rwanda on April 30, 2024 to “stop all support” to the Congolese rebels of the M23 in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and to “withdraw one's forces” from the country. “France will never compromise on the territorial integrity and sovereignty of the Democratic Republic of Congo”he declared during a joint press conference with his Congolese counterpart Félix Tshisekedi, visiting Paris.

This is his first official visit to Paris. Félix Tshisekedi, the president of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DR Congo) is received on Tuesday April 30 by his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron at the Élysée for “revitalize the strategic partnership between the DRC and France”, according to the Congolese presidency.

Emmanuel Macron last week called on Félix Tshisekedi and his Rwandan counterpart Paul Kagame “to resume discussions” and asked for “respect for the territorial integrity of the DRC”. But neither Paris – whose relations with Kigali have warmed significantly since a report by historians in 2021 on France's responsibility in the genocide of the Tutsi in Rwanda – nor any other Western country have gone so far as to take sanctions. Félix Tshisekedi, for his part, demands that his counterpart take sanctions against Kigali.