As Congo peace deadline slips, Belgium's Prévot pushes for African role on visit to region
Belgian Foreign minister Maxime Prévot has urged stronger involvement from African nations and the African Union in efforts to end fighting in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). His appeal came on Monday as he began a regional tour, shortly after a key peace deadline passed without agreement.
Prévot, speaking in Congo-Brazzaville, warned that international mediation alone would not be enough to end the violence in eastern DRC. “We cannot afford to add yet another agreement to the long list of treaties that fail to stop the bloodshed,” he said.
Talks in Washington and Doha, backed by the United States and Qatar, were meant to deliver a final peace accord by 18 August between the Congolese government and M23 rebels, who are supported by Rwanda. But no deal was signed, and fighting has intensified in South Kivu.
"We cannot afford to add yet another agreement to the long list of treaties that fail to stop the bloodshed"
Prévot compared the situation to the war in Ukraine, saying peace in DRC must also include regional voices. “We would never accept a peace deal in Europe without Ukraine or the Europeans. The same is true here. African players must be at the table,” he said.
His appeal was echoed in Kinshasa by aid groups working on the ground. Emmanuel Lampaert, Médecins Sans Frontières’ head for Central Africa, told the Belgian delegation that “the agreements and declarations signed in Washington and Doha are not being felt on the ground, where extreme violence continues, and in some areas is even getting worse”.
Lampaert described worsening pressure on humanitarian operations in both North and South Kivu since early August, with hospitals overwhelmed and basic services such as water, health and education still “politicised” by local power struggles.
He also warned of a resurgence of cholera and ongoing sexual violence.
It is Prévot's second visit to the region in four months. He met Congo-Brazzaville’s president, Denis Sassou Nguesso, on Monday and is continuing his trip in Kinshasa, where he is holding talks with president Félix Tshisekedi.
Minister of Foreign Affairs Maxime Prevot and DRC president Felix Tshisekedi © BELGA PHOTO BENOIT DOPPAGNE
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