DR Congo defies pressure over talks with rebel M23

(BBC)Despite growing international pressure, the Democratic Republic of Congo is standing firm on its decision not to have direct talks with the M23 rebel group that has made major advances in the east of the country in recent months.

Last week, the UK government added to calls for the group to be part of an “inclusive dialogue” to help find a political solution to the conflict.

But in an interview with the BBC, DR Congo Prime Minister Judith Suminwa Tuluka said her government wants to negotiate with neighbouring Rwanda, which it accuses of backing the M23.

At least 8,500 people have been killed since fighting escalated in January, according to the Congolese authorities.

Hundreds of thousands have also been forced from their homes amid the chaos triggered by the fighting, in which UN experts and others see Rwanda as having a key role.

“The fact remains that the aggressor of the territorial integrity and of the sovereignty of the Democratic Republic of Congo is Rwanda,” Suminwa Tuluka said, citing a UN experts’ report from last year that stated that between 3,000 and 4,000 Rwandan troops had crossed into Congolese territory and were fighting alongside the M23.