WASHINGTON, Dec. 17 (UPI) -- The Democratic Republic of Congo's call for a dialogue to resolve underlying conflicts in eastern Congo was welcomed, the U.S. State Department said Monday.
"We support the proposed Conference on Peace, Security and Stability in the Kivus and will participate in this effort," U.S. State Department spokesman Tom Casey said in a statement.
Antonio Guterres, U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees, has visited a displacement camp in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, saying the conflict between army and renegade troops needs a political, not humanitarian, response, the Voice of America said. Almost 200,000 civilians in the region have been displaced since fighting began in August.
So all parties could participate in the conference, the United States called upon the Congolese government and "all armed groups" to take the necessary measures to protect civilian populations, "to respect the rights of internally displaced persons and refugees, and to uphold the right of Congolese women to live in freedom from the fear of gender-based violence," the State Department message said.
