The United States tells Rwanda and Congo they must ‘walk back from the brink of war’

BY EDITH M. LEDERER

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The United States told Rwanda and Congo on Tuesday that they “must walk back from the brink of war,” the sharpest warning yet of a looming conflict between the African neighbors.

U.S. deputy ambassador Robert Wood delivered the warning at an emergency meeting of the U.N. Security Council called by France as violence has worsened in Congo’s mineral-rich east which borders Rwanda.

Wood said Rwanda and Congo, along with “regional actors,” should immediately resume diplomatic talks. “These regional diplomatic efforts, not military conflict, are the only path toward a negotiated solution and sustainable peace,” he stressed.

The U.S. warning follows the Rwandan Foreign Ministry’s rejection on Monday of U.S. calls for the withdrawal of its troops and surface-to-air missile systems from eastern Congo.

The U.S. State Department on Saturday also criticized the worsening violence caused by M23, a “Rwanda-backed” armed group.

The