Rising tensions between Rwanda and Congo Kinshasa are worrying African Union President Macky Sall.
The reason is a heated exchange between the countries about two soldiers from Rwanda who are said to have been kidnapped.
“I appeal to both countries to remain calm and to hold talks for a peaceful solution to the crisis,” Sall wrote on social media.
Prolonged clashes between the two Central African countries escalated into a risk of armed conflict on Saturday, when Rwanda claimed that two soldiers were being held captive by rebels in eastern Congo-Kinshasa.
The tone is raised even more when Rwanda accuses authorities in Congo-Kinshasa of supporting the rebel group that is alleged to be behind the kidnappings. Congo-Kinshasa responds by accusing Rwanda of supporting militant groups in the border areas.
An important factor in the conflict is two rebel groups that are partly fighting each other.
Rwanda says the neighboring country supports the rebel group FDLR, which is critical of the government in Kigali. Congo-Kinshasa accuses Rwanda of backing the M23 group, which questions those in power in Kinshasa.
The two groups have clashed in the past week in the province of North Kivu in Congo-Kinshasa. About 70,000 residents in the region have fled their homes due to the fighting.
AU President Macky Sall, who is also president of Senegal, says that regional institutions and the African Cooperation Organization can and should assist in resolving the conflict.