European Union rejects President Tshisekedi appeal for military support against advancing rebels in DRC

“We Don’t want War!”

The European Union has turned down President Felix Tshisekedi’s appeal for military support in Kinshasa’s fight against the rebels’ coalition ​advancement in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

As it happens, the European Union (EU) has joined a growing number of the international communities that support dialogue and peaceful solutions to end the conflict in the DR Congo.

Reports from DRC are to the effect that President Tshisekedi was gunning towards force retaliation as the coalition of the Congo River Alliance (AFC) and the March 23 rebels continues to advance towards the country’s capital after capturing ​major cities in the Eastern provinces.

Recently, the DR Congo President, Felix Tshisekedi had an audience with European Union’s Special Representative in the Great Lakes Region, Johan Borgstam and the two discussed, among other things, the situation in the troubled country.

During the meeting ​with Tshisekedi however, Johan Borgstam made clear the European Union’s position that the EU was advocating for peaceful negotiation to end the war in Congo.

Apparently, this is the same position being held by both the East African Community (EAC) and the Southern African Development Community (SADC)​.

​The DR Congo is a member of both the EAC and SADC. The two bodies met in Dar-es-salaam, Tanzania to address the Congo conflict and reached the unanimous stand.

The EU envoy, Borgstam encouraged Tshisekedi to find a political rather than a military solution for the well-being of the Congolese people and country as whole.

The EU leader further encouraged Tshisekedi to end his reluctance to dialogue with his Rwandan counterpart Paul Kagame whom he has also met.