DRC - Rwanda: Kigali's discreet diplomatic response

Tension between Kinshasa and Kigali continues unabated. While the M23 rebels seized the town of Bunagana on Monday 13 June, an important crossroads for cross-border trade between the DRC and Uganda, Kinshasa continues to accuse Rwanda of being behind the "invasion" of its territory.

On the diplomatic front, negotiations for a peaceful solution seem to have stalled. Several attempts at dialogue have taken place over the past two weeks. The UN Secretary General's Special Envoy for the Great Lakes Region, Huang Xia, has visited Goma and Kigali. Angolan President João Lourenço, the African Union (AU) appointed mediator, hopes to organise a meeting between Paul Kagame and Félix Tshisekedi. But "things are at a standstill," said a member of the Congolese president's inner circle.

During his visit to Brazzaville on 13 June, Huang Xia, who was received by President Denis Sassou Nguesso, nevertheless assured that the dialogue process between the DRC and the armed groups would soon resume, with a third meeting scheduled for "17 or 20 June". He also mentioned the organisation "very soon" of the summit between Félix Tshisekedi, Paul Kagame and João Lourenço.