US top diplomat Rubio speaks to Angola about conflict in eastern Congo
WASHINGTON, Feb 19 (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke to Angolan Foreign Minister Tete Antonio on Wednesday about finding "a peaceful end to the conflict" in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, the State Department said.
KEY QUOTE
"Secretary Rubio and Foreign Minister Antonio discussed the Luanda Process and Angola's leadership in working to find a peaceful end to the conflict in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo," the State Department said in a statement.
WHY IT'S IMPORTANT
Washington has warned of possible sanctions against Rwandan and Congolese officials due to the conflict. In a diplomatic note seen by Reuters earlier this month, the U.S. had said that stability in the region will require the Rwandan military "to withdraw its forces and advanced weaponry" from Congo.
CONTEXT
An advance by Rwanda-backed M23 rebels has marked the gravest escalation in more than a decade of a long-running conflict in eastern Congo, rooted in the spillover of Rwanda's 1994 genocide into Congo and the struggle for control of Congo's vast minerals resources.
Rwanda rejects allegations from Congo, the United Nations and Western powers that it supports M23 with arms and troops.
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