Kabila Says Congolese People are Ready for Internal Peace

(The Post News)– Former presidents of the Democratic Republic of Congo and the Republic of South Africa, Joseph Kabila and Thabo Mbeki, met in Johannesburg on Thursday to discuss the ongoing conflicts in Congo.

The meeting organised by Mbeki came after the M23 withdrew from peace negotiations that were scheduled to take place in Luanda, Angola. The Rwanda-backed rebels withdrew from the peace talks following sanctions by the European Union (EU) to some of its leaders.

Speaking to reporters, Kabila said the Congolese people are ready to find peace in their country. Kabila also expressed concern over the M23’s withdrawal from peace talks and stressed the need for internal solutions and national unity to address the country’s ongoing crisis.

Kaliba affirmed that their efforts to find peace have never stopped, noting that they are “ready to actively work for peace, and that was our attitude 22 years ago when we came to Sun City.” He added that their attitude now is more informed and unique and will carry them through in their search for peace in any capacity.

Kabila urged all Congolese to refrain from shifting blame to other countries for their internal conflicts, saying that Congo cannot continue to be the crybaby in the region talking about its weaknesses and how strong everybody else is. He also alluded to the fact that crises in the DRC are internal and can only be solved by its citizens. According to Kaliba, what is more important for him as a Congolese and the Congolese people at large is that they deal with the situation themselves.