EU URGES RWANDA TO WITHDRAW TROOPS FROM CONGO-Kallas says attacks on UN peacekeepers were unacceptable.
EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas has stated that the EU foreign ministers have called for Rwanda to withdraw troops from eastern Congo .
Rebels reportedly marched on Monday into Goma city in eastern Congo, as Congolese troops exchanged fire with Rwandan military over the border, an escalation in a long-running conflict.
Kallas, who said the European Union closely follows the crisis in eastern Congo, urged Rwanda to withdraw its troops saying attacks on UN peacekeepers were unacceptable.
Kallas added that she had invited the U.S. Secretary of State Mark Rubio to take part in a future EU foreign ministers’ meeting, without detailing his response. She also said she is “willing to visit them as soon as possible.”
Kallas also stated that the EU will restart a civilian mission to monitor the border crossing between Gaza and Egypt at Rafah, asserting that the reopening the crossing would allow for easy transfer of injured individuals from Gaza for treatment
The European Union renewed its wide-ranging sanctions on Russia for another six months on Monday, after Hungary stopped holding up the move in return for assurances about energy security.
