Tshisekedi arrived in Belgium on February 28, 2024, from Luanda, Angola, where he had discussions with his counterpart, João Lourenço, about the ongoing conflict in North Kivu Province.

After being received by De Croo, when journalists asked him about his request to Belgium, he responded, “What I would ask for Rwanda is sanctions.”

De Croo indicated that imposing sanctions on Rwanda was not feasible, explaining that there were ongoing discussions within this bloc to sanction individuals directly involved with M23.

The Belgian Prime Minister highlighted that while Tshisekedi accuses Rwanda of supporting M23, the DRC government also supports armed groups, and that the priority should be to stop the fighting.

He stated, “The DRC must stop supporting other armed groups. The most important thing right now is that the fighting stops. The conflict has lasted too long and has had significant consequences.”

The DRC government has been trying to pressure the EU to side with it, leveraging its relationship with Belgium, which currently leads the organization. However, the leadership has responded that it cannot take sides in these conflicts.

Belgium’s Prime Minister has rejected DRC’s request for sanctions against Rwanda amid M23 accusations.