BY JIBRIL TURE

A just-in press release from the Office of the U.S. State Department’s Spokesperson now headed by Tammy K. Bruce, formerly a radio host, author, and political commentator, states that Secretary of State Marco Rubio called the president of the Democratic Republic of Congo, Félix Tshisekedi, today to “discuss the bilateral relationship and further enhancing our ties.”

According to the press release, Secretary Rubio “condemned the assault on Goma by the Rwanda-backed M23 and affirmed the United States’ respect for the sovereignty of the DRC.”

The two officials reportedly “agreed on the importance of advancing the Luanda Process and Angolan President João Lourenço’s efforts to restart talks between the DRC and Rwanda as soon as possible.”

In a different press release, the State Department says that Secretary Rubio also spoke today with Kenyan President William Ruto “to underscore the value of the U.S.-Kenya bilateral relationship and thank him for Kenya’s leadership of the Multinational Security Support (MSS) mission to Haiti.