The Rwanda-backed M23 armed group announced Monday that it will withdraw from peace talks scheduled for Tuesday in Angola. The rebels had planned direct negotiations with the Democratic Republic of Congo's government to resolve the conflict in the country's east.
The Congo River Alliance of rebel groups, including M23, stated it was pulling out of talks due to sanctions imposed earlier in the day by the EU on M23 and Rwandan officials.
The rebel group coalition said in a statement that the EU actions were aimed at "obstructing the much-anticipated talks."
Rwanda also said that it was cutting diplomatic ties with its former colonial ruler, Belgium, with Kigali accusing Brussels of attempting to "sustain its neo-colonial delusions."
Rwanda announced on Monday that it had severed diplomatic ties with Belgium, giving Belgian diplomats 48 hours to leave the country.
Belgium's foreign affairs minister, Maxime Prevot, described the move as "disproportionate," adding that Brussels would declare Rwandan diplomats persona non grata.
Congolese President Felix Tshisekedi had previously refused direct talks with the M23 rebels, who have fought the government for over a decade. However, Tshisekedi announced last week that he was willing to meet with the M23 group after a meeting with his Angolan counterpart, who has acted as a mediator in the conflict.
Tina Salama, a spokesperson for Tshisekedi, stated that despite the M23's withdrawal, the government delegation would still travel to Luanda for the talks.
The M23 escalated its offensive earlier this year, and despite assertions by the US and UN experts, Rwanda has denied supporting the rebels.
M23 is one of nearly 100 armed groups vying for control of the mineral-rich eastern Congo near the Rwanda border. The rebel group has seized two major cities in eastern Congo since fighting intensified earlier this year, resulting in thousands of deaths and the displacement of hundreds of thousands.
Britain will introduce sanctions soon against Rwanda over fighting in neighbouring Congo, a minister in the UK Foreign Office told Reuters on Monday.
The remains of victims who lost their lives in the recent clashes between M23 rebels and Military forces in Bukavu have been buried in a mass grave on Thursday.
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The Trump administration is reportedly considering recognizing Crimea as part of Russia in a potential peace deal to end the war in Ukraine, with discussions also involving the United Nations.
Azerbaijan on Tuesday reported cross-border fire targeting its military positions from Armenia for the third day in a row.
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U.S. President Donald Trump, who has ordered the release of classified documents related to the 1963 assassination of U.S. President John F. Kennedy, said on Monday that his administration will make public around 80,000 pages of files related to the former president today.
Britain reactivates "Operation Safeguard" to tackle prison overcrowding, temporarily holding inmates in police cells. With prisons at over 99% capacity, the move comes amid a surge in the prison population, outpacing major European nations in incarceration rates.
Suspected Somali pirates have hijacked a Yemeni-flagged fishing boat off the coast of Puntland in northeast Somalia, marking the second such attack in just two months, according to the European Union’s anti-piracy naval force.
The Trump administration is reportedly considering recognizing Crimea as part of Russia in a potential peace deal to end the war in Ukraine, with discussions also involving the United Nations.
Azerbaijan on Tuesday reported cross-border fire targeting its military positions from Armenia for the third day in a row.
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