French President Emmanuel Macron on Saturday pledged an €81 million ($86 million) humanitarian aid package and support for the implementation of a peace plan for Congo, which is facing ongoing rebel attacks.
France will be the first country to participate in a humanitarian air bridge to eastern Congo planned by the EU. Paris will increase EU aid of €47 million ($50 million) by a further €34 million, Macron said in the Congolese capital Kinshasa.
Congo must not become a spoil of war and a victim of looting, and suffer the detachment of parts of the country, he said.
For almost a year, M23 rebels in the east of the country, who are suspected of being supported by Rwanda, have been attacking civilians and the Congolese army. The military blamed M23 for the killing of hundreds of innocent people, while Amnesty International has cited war crimes.
In view of the worsening humanitarian situation, the EU on Saturday announced an air bridge to the eastern city of Goma. Some 600,000 people had already fled the region because of rebel attacks, according to the EU, with another 240,000 camped out on the city's outskirts.
Macron said he was counting on the peace plan prepared in the region, which foresees a ceasefire from Tuesday. "Those who oppose the peace plan will face sanctions," he added, during his regional trip that also included stops in Gabon and Angola.
Before his trip, Macron had stressed that France, as a former colonial power, wanted to create a new relationship with African states on an equal footing.
Congolese President Félix Tshisekedi welcomed the French engagement in his country. If France wants to be active in Africa, he said, it must listen to the African peoples.
"There has to be a change in the way we cooperate with France and Europe," Tshisekedi said. "Look at us differently, with respect as true partners and not always with a paternalistic view with the idea of always knowing what is good for us."
