This week, DRC and Rwanda agree on steps to ease tensions. One hundred thousand South Sudanese flee to Ethiopia. Pakistan and Afghanistan arrive at temporary ceasefire.
DRC and Rwanda Agree on Steps to Ease Tensions
The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Rwanda this week agreed on steps to ease tensions. US president Donald Trump hosted officials from both countries for talks at the White House on March 17 and 18. This was the first time officials from both countries had met after the US sanctioned the Rwandan Defence Force (RDF) and four senior Rwandan military officials on March 2 for supporting M23 rebels in eastern DRC.
A joint statement by the US, DRC, and Rwanda said, “These efforts include a mutual commitment to specific measures to support each other’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, the scheduled disengagement of forces/lifting of defensive measures by Rwanda in defined areas in DRC territory, time-bound and intensified efforts by the DRC to neutralize the FDLR, and the protection of all civilians.”
This development comes after an uptick in violence in eastern DRC. On March 11, a French UN aid worker and two other people were killed in a drone strike on a residential building in rebel-held Goma.
100,000 South Sudanese Flee to Ethiopia
Around 100,000 South Sudanese people have fled to Ethiopia amidst a “deteriorating situation for children” in Jonglei state, UNICEF said in an update on March 17. This development comes after South Sudan’s army on March 8 ordered evacuations to clear the way for a military offensive. UNICEF said in its update, “100,000 are estimated to have fled to Ethiopia from Akobo town after the evacuation order was issued. Akobo hospital was looted and closed.”
The organization added that 28 health and nutrition facilities have been destroyed or looted since January 1, with worrying malnutrition rates among children.
There have been several incidents of health, nutrition and clean water and sanitation supplies being stolen, including 17 incidents—or 80 percent of the incidents—in Jonglei.
Located on the border with Ethiopia, Akobo is an opposition stronghold where tens of thousands of refugees have fled. On March 9, UN peacekeepers defied a military order to shut down their base in the town.
Pakistan and Afghanistan Arrive at Temporary Ceasefire
Pakistan and Afghanistan arrived at a temporary ceasefire on March 18, which was set to run during the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Fitr from midnight on March 19 to midnight on March 20. Turkey, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia brokered the ceasefire.
The ceasefire comes days after Afghanistan accused Pakistan’s military of killing hundreds in an air strike on a drug rehabilitation center in Kabul. Pakistan rejected the allegation, telling Al Jazeera Arabic that it only targets “terrorist infrastructure and military locations.”
Relations between the two countries have deteriorated in recent weeks due to fighting causing casualties and property damage. Violence has killed at least 107 people on both sides since late February. Afghanistan says 13 soldiers and 76 civilians have been killed, not including the latest victims of a strike on March 16. Meanwhile, 13 soldiers and five civilians have been killed in Pakistan.
The Qatari Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Qatar hopes the ceasefire “will pave the way for a return to a sustainable ceasefire agreement, one that spares civilian lives and achieves security and stability.”
Keywords: DRC, Rwanda, South Sudan, Pakistan, Afghanistan, ceasefire, peace talks, peace, conflict, conflict resolution, Trump, White House, US
Tara Abhasakun
Tara Abhasakun is Peace News Network (PNN)'s managing editor. She is journalist based in Christchurch, New Zealand, and formerly in Bangkok, Thailand. She has reported on a range of human rights issues involving youth protests in Thailand, as well as arts and culture. Tara's work has appeared in several outlets, including Al Jazeera and South China Morning Post.
