A new meeting of ministers from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRCongo) and Rwanda will be held in Luanda on August 20 and 21 to discuss a peace proposal for eastern DR Congo, the Angolan president announced.
The meeting follows recent visits by Angolan President João Lourenço as African Union-appointed mediator to Kigali and Kinshasa on 11 and 12 August respectively, during which he made peace deal proposals to his Rwandan counterpart Paul Kagame and DR Congo’s Felix Tshisekedi.
In this context, “the proposal for a lasting peace presented to the parties with a view to reaching a common understanding on a peaceful solution to the conflict prevailing in the eastern region of the DR Congo, which has worsened since the end of 2023, should be considered in essence,” the Angolan president said in a post on his Facebook page.
The proposal presented by João Lourenço follows the entry into force of a ceasefire agreement between DR Congo and Rwanda on August 4, brokered by Angola.
DR Congo accuses Rwanda of supporting the M23 rebel movement to seize mineral resources in the east of the country, while the armed group says it is protecting the threatened Tutsi population in North Kivu province.
Felix Tshisekedi accused his predecessor Joseph Kabila of plotting an “uprising” and of coordinating or belonging to the Alliance of French Congo (AFC), a military-political movement that includes the March 23 Movement (M23).
M23 is one of more than 100 armed groups operating in eastern DR Congo, a region rich in gold and rare minerals needed for some of the world’s biggest technologies.
The Rio Congo Alliance, a military-political movement that includes armed groups such as M23, congratulated all those involved in seeking a peaceful resolution to the crisis in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo following the announcement of a ceasefire between Rwanda and DR Congo brokered by Angola, but stressed that it was “not automatically linked to the conclusions of meetings to which it was not invited,” demanding direct dialogue with the Kinshasa government.
Author: Lusa
Source: CM Jornal
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