Angolan President Reaffirms ‘Political Will’ to Resolve DR Congo Conflict Through Negotiations

Angola’s president said on Saturday there was “political will” to resolve the conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo through negotiations, but acknowledged that the demobilization of forces had reached an impasse and announced steps to involve MONUSCO in the effort.

João Lourenço, who is currently the acting president of the Southern African Development Community (SADC), was speaking in Harare, the capital of Zimbabwe, at the start of the 44th summit of heads of state and government of the regional organization, during which the rotating presidency of the organization will be handed over to Zimbabwe.

The Angolan Head of State summed up the actions taken as part of the pacification efforts in the east of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRCongo), paying particular attention to the recent ministerial meetings between DRCongo and Rwanda held in Luanda, which resulted in a ceasefire agreement accompanied by a process of demobilization of troops.

The meetings also resulted in the need to develop a plan to neutralize the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR) and to take confidence-building measures between the two sides and the Special Verification Mechanism, an arbitration mechanism that brings together intelligence experts from the three countries.

“In accordance with the decisions I just mentioned, intelligence experts met in Luanda on the 7th and 8th of this month and jointly developed the Agreed Plan to neutralize the FDLR, but a deadlock has arisen in the preparation of the Disengagement Plan in the Operational Theatre,” João Lourenço stressed.

The Angolan head of state, the mediator appointed by the African Union, also stressed that in his talks last week with the presidents of Rwanda, Paul Kagame, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Felix Tshisekedi, to whom he presented the proposal for a peace agreement, he noticed “great political will on their part to resolve the conflict through negotiations.”

A ministerial meeting is scheduled for August 20 in Luanda to discuss and agree on the terms of the aforementioned proposal for a peace agreement, “which will be signed, at the best opportunity, in the presence of the three heads of state of the DR Congo, Rwanda and Angola,” he stressed.

João Lourenço also announced that steps had been taken with the United Nations to ensure that MONUSCO – the United Nations Stabilization Mission in the DR Congo – supports the work of the Special Enhanced Verification Mechanism, whose mandate will be critical to ensuring the implementation of the ceasefire, the neutralization of the FDLR and the disengagement of forces.

The Angolan President praised the efforts of SADC and the “spirit of unity” of the countries that make up the organisation, noting that “it has always been at the core of efforts to ensure security, peace and stability in the region.”

“We will continue to count on your support and with the same readiness and willingness as always to assist us in our efforts to restore lasting peace in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo,” he concluded.

The Southern African Development Community (SADC) is a regional economic community comprising 16 member states, namely Angola, Botswana, Comoros, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Eswatini, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Seychelles, South Africa, United Republic of Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

The peace 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.

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.