African News Agency : Welcome

Washington, 19 Dec - (ANA) - U.S. President Barack Obama yesterday urged his Rwandan counterpart, Paul Kagame, to stop support for the M23 rebels in neighboring Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). In their phone conversation, Obama stressed that "any support to the rebel group M23 is inconsistent with Rwanda's desire for stability and peace," the White House said. Both Kagame and Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni have rejected charges by the DRC and UN experts that their countries are behind the M23's rebellion, but they joined hands last month in mediating between the DRC government and M23, after the rebel group captured Goma, capital of the North Kivu province. M23 withdrew from Goma early this month in order to begin negotiations with the government, and talks aimed at ending fighting in the eastern part of the country have been extended till Dec. 31. Obama told Kagame to "permanently" end all support for armed groups in the DRC, abide by the recent commitments he made with DRC President Joseph Kabila and Museveni, and reach a "transparent and credible" political agreement including an end to impunity for M23 commanders and others who have committed serious human rights abuses. The M23 rebellion started in April, when a militia that had been integrated into the DRC armed forces mutinied. The militant group has since operated in the eastern part of the country, which is rich in mineral resources.(ANA)