Ankara has offered to mediate between Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo over a new offensive launched by an armed group in the east of the DRC, Agence France-Presse reported, citing Turkey’s president on Thursday.
“We, as Turkey, are ready to provide any support necessary to resolve this issue which will contribute to stability and peace in the Great Lakes region,” President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said after a meeting on Thursday with his Rwandan counterpart, Paul Kagame, according to the official Anadolu news agency.
The Rwandan-backed M23 fighters are battling the Congolese armed forces and have tightened their grip surrounding Goma, the capital of DR Congo’s North Kivu province, in violence that has forced some 230,000 to flee their homes.
The UN said this week it was alarmed by the resumption of hostilities.
Turkey has sought to increase its diplomatic efforts and economic development in Africa.
Last year Erdoğan brokered a deal to end tensions between Ethiopia and Somalia.