DRC: Security Crisis in North Kivu, President João Lourenço announces a possible meeting between Kigali and Kinshasa
During his visit to Côte d’Ivoire on Thursday, June 27, 2024, Angolan President João Lourenço addressed the ongoing deterioration of the security situation in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), marked by a severe humanitarian crisis due to the offensives by M23 rebels supported by the Rwandan army. He announced the possibility of a meeting between DRC President Félix Tshisekedi and his Rwandan counterpart Paul Kagame.
At a joint press conference on Thursday, President João Lourenço revealed that negotiations are underway to organize a meeting soon between Paul Kagame of Rwanda and Félix Tshisekedi of the DRC to achieve peace in eastern DRC.
“Angola is in pursuit of definitive peace in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. What I have to say is that we remain very optimistic that sooner or later, we will naturally find the definitive solution that will bring us peace for our brother country, the Democratic Republic of Congo. We have gone beyond this perspective; today, we are negotiating at the ministerial level with the aim of very soon bringing together the two heads of state of the DRC and Rwanda for a direct exchange on this situation to achieve peace in these two countries”, said the Angolan President to the Ivorian press.
The Angolan President emphasized the urgency and necessity of implementing various peace initiatives, particularly the Luanda Agreement. This agreement has long called for the withdrawal of M23 rebels from occupied areas in eastern Congo.
President Lourenço’s remarks in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, come at a time when the DRC is facing the activism of local and foreign armed groups, including the M23 supported by Kigali, and the growing presence of ADF-MTM rebels in North Kivu province. The situation is exacerbated by the occupation of parts of North Kivu province by M23 rebels who continue their expansion in Congolese territory.
Meanwhile, peace talks are stalled, and violent clashes continue on several fronts in the eastern part of the Republic. The peace processes of Luanda and Nairobi have stalled. Félix Tshisekedi and Paul Kagame remain at odds, each recently replacing their foreign ministers.
