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President Felix Tshisekedi of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has called on the nation’s parliament to officially declare that a “genocide” has occurred in the conflict-ridden eastern part of the country.
Tshisekedi’s appeal was made on Saturday, amidst ongoing talks with neighbouring Rwanda following a recent peace deal aimed at ending years of violence.
The president argued that the deaths of thousands of people in the fighting meet the criteria of the 1948 Convention against genocide. He pledged to lobby international forums to have the term formally applied to the situation in eastern DRC, a region rich in minerals like cobalt and gold.
Tshisekedi’s statement comes after a fresh surge of unrest earlier this year when the M23 armed group, which the DRC accuses Rwanda of supporting, captured key cities in the east.
While a peace deal was signed in June, analysts remain sceptical about the prospects for lasting peace, as numerous militias continue to control large parts of the region.
The DRC and Rwanda did make some progress this week, with the U.S. announcing on Friday that the two nations have reached an outline for an economic cooperation accord. That framework is expected to be finalised by the end of September. Meanwhile, the DRC and the M23 group have set a deadline of August 8 to begin talks on a comprehensive peace agreement.
