Macron Meets Tshisekedi in Paris to Discuss Eastern Congo Conflict

French President Emmanuel Macron met with his Congolese counterpart Felix Tshisekedi in Paris on Wednesday to discuss the ongoing conflict in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, where clashes between government forces and the M23 rebel group have escalated.

The meeting at the Elysee Palace took place a day after the reported death of M23 military spokesperson Willy Ngoma, who was allegedly killed in a drone strike near the mining town of Rubaya in North Kivu province.

“This exchange reaffirmed France’s commitment to respecting the territorial integrity and sovereignty of the DRC in a troubling security context characterized by the Rwandan military occupation of certain localities in the east of the DRC,” the Congolese president’s office said in a post on the social media platform X.

Macron expressed his pleasure at hosting Tshisekedi and noted that their talks also addressed the broader bilateral relationship between France and the DRC.

“France fully supports the mediation efforts for a lasting political solution in the Great Lakes region, the cessation of hostilities, a ceasefire, and respect for the authority of the State and the territorial integrity of the DRC,” Macron said on X.

Although a ceasefire proposed by Angola was declared effective on February 18, fighting between government troops and AFC/M23 rebels intensified on Wednesday across several areas in Masisi territory, North Kivu, displacing thousands of residents, according to civil society organizations.

Both sides have accused each other of violating the ceasefire. Earlier on Wednesday, rebel spokesperson Lawrence Kanyuka said, “the Kinshasa regime crossed a new threshold of violence by launching a large-scale offensive” using “armed drones and heavy artillery to strike densely populated areas as well as our positions.”