President Félix Antoine Tshisekedi of the Democratic Republic of Congo presented a bouquet of flowers to the country’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Thérèse Wagner Kayikwamba, as a gesture of appreciation.
Tshisekedi surprised Kayikwamba during the Council of Ministers meeting held at his office.
During this meeting, the President of the DRC praised what he described as the significant progress the country has made on the international diplomatic stage, “especially regarding the ongoing insecurity in the eastern part of the country and the diplomatic efforts undertaken to repel Rwanda’s aggression.”
He added: “Instructions were given, and results are being seen,” before describing Kayikwamba as “a true hero.”
Tshisekedi handed flowers to his Foreign Affairs Minister following a period during which she has been traveling around the world lobbying for sanctions against Rwanda, due to accusations by Kinshasa that Rwanda supports the M23 rebel group.
These allegations have been supported by several mostly Western countries, some of which imposed sanctions on Rwanda and pressured it to “end support for M23 and withdraw its troops from DRC territory.”
Rwanda has often denounced what it describes as biased behavior by these countries, accusing them of taking sides instead of addressing the root causes of the conflict in eastern DRC.
Currently, Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo have been engaged in talks aimed at easing long-standing tensions between the two nations. Both countries are expected to sign a peace agreement in the coming days, brokered by the United States.
