(MENAFN) Democratic Republic of Congo President Felix Tshisekedi has appealed to Rwandan President Paul Kagame to foster peace as violence involving M23 insurgents intensifies in eastern Congo.

During his speech at the EU’s Global Gateway Forum held in Brussels on Thursday, the Congolese leader urged his Rwandan counterpart to “embrace the path of dialogue.”

“It is not too late to do things right,” Tshisekedi expressed. “I’m using this forum to extend my hand to you, Mr. President, so that we can make peace. Today, we are the only two capable of stopping this escalation,” he emphasized, calling on Rwanda to compel M23 to cease their military advances.

“And this requires that you order the M23 troops, supported by your country, to stop this escalation which has caused enough deaths as it is,” he added firmly.

However, Kagame did not reply to Tshisekedi’s statements at the forum. Later, Rwandan Foreign Minister Olivier Nduhungirehe dismissed the remarks as mere “political theatrics,” insisting that Tshisekedi “alone can end the war.”

Rwanda’s presidential press secretary, Stephanie Nyombayire, took to X to accuse Tshisekedi of portraying himself as a peacemaker while “claiming victimhood of the very conflict he caused and has refused to resolve.”

The confrontations between M23 rebels and Congolese government forces have surged since January in the resource-rich eastern region of the country.

The insurgents have captured significant mining centers, including Goma, the capital of North Kivu, and Bukavu, the capital of South Kivu, with reports indicating that thousands have lost their lives in the ongoing conflict.

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