Rwanda-backed rebels take more towns as they expand control after seizing east Congo’s largest city
The government of Congo will hold peace talks next week in Angola with the Rwanda-backed M23 rebel group that has captured key areas of Congo’s mineral-rich east, mediator Angola announced Wednesday.
A statement from Angolan President João Lourenço’s office said the parties would begin “direct peace negotiations” in the Angolan capital, Luanda.
Angola has acted as a mediator in the conflict in eastern Congo, which escalated in late January when the Rwanda-backed rebels advanced and took control of the strategic eastern Congo city of Goma. In February, M23 seized Bukavu, eastern Congo’s second biggest city.
Congo President Felix Tshisekedi was in Angola on Tuesday to discuss the possibility of peace talks.
“Following the diligence carried out by Angolan mediation in the conflict affecting the Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, the Government of the Republic of Angola makes public that delegations from the Democratic Republic of Congo and M23 will begin direct peace negotiations, on March 18, in the city of Luanda,” Lourenço’s office said in a statement on Wednesday. The Congolese government did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Rwanda-backed rebels take more towns as they expand control after seizing east Congo’s largest city.
“We acknowledge and look forward to the implementation of this Angolan mediation initiative,” Tina Salama, the spokesperson for President Tshisekedi said on social media on Tuesday.
The announcement comes after several canceled peace talks hosted by Angola that had previously excluded M23 and instead focused on their Rwandan backers.
Peace talks between Congo and Rwanda were unexpectedly canceled in December after Rwanda made the signing of a peace agreement conditional on a direct dialogue between Congo and the M23 rebels, which Congo refused.
M23 is one of about 100 armed groups that have been vying for a foothold in mineral-rich eastern Congo near the border with Rwanda, in a conflict that has created one of the world’s most significant humanitarian crises. More than 7 million people have been displaced.
The rebels are supported by about 4,000 troops from neighboring Rwanda, according to U.N. experts, and at times have vowed to march as far as Congo’s capital, Kinshasa, over 1,000 miles away.
The U.N. Human Rights Council last month launched a commission to investigate atrocities, including allegations of rape and killing akin to “summary executions” by both sides.
Meanwhile, Joao Lourenco, Angolan President and current African Union (AU) chair, on Saturday urged all parties involved in the conflict in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) to cease hostilities starting midnight local time on Sunday, according to a statement released by the Angolan Presidency.
Lourenco emphasised that the ceasefire is essential to create a climate of de-escalation that favours the upcoming peace talks between the DRC government and the March 23 Movement (M23) rebels, set to take place in Luanda, Angola’s capital.
“The ceasefire must include all hostile actions against civilians and any attempts to seize new positions in the conflict zone,” the statement said.
Angola announced on Wednesday that it would host direct peace talks between the DRC government and the M23 rebels in Luanda on March 18.
The DRC government has not officially confirmed its participation yet. The M23 told the media that it welcomed Angola’s initiative, but called on DRC President Felix Tshisekedi to publicly commit to direct negotiations with the group.
Fighting between the DRC government and the M23 has intensified in recent months, with the rebels launching major offensives in North Kivu and South Kivu provinces, capturing several key towns, Xinhua news agency reported.
The ongoing violence has displaced thousands, exacerbating the humanitarian crisis in the eastern DRC. Despite diplomatic and military efforts, the conflict persists.
The Southern African Development Community (SADC) announced on Thursday that it will terminate its military mission in the DRC amid ongoing hostilities by the March 23 Movement (M23) rebels.
During an extraordinary virtual summit attended by several heads of state of its member countries, the SADC decided to end the mandate of the SADC Mission in the DRC (SAMIDRC) and ordered a phased withdrawal of its troops.
The SADC is a regional economic community comprising 16 member states: Angola, Botswana, the Comoros, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Eswatini, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Seychelles, South Africa, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
Deployed in December 2023, SAMIDRC comprises military personnel from Malawi, South Africa and Tanzania, who have been supporting the DRC military in combating armed groups in the eastern region. However, the mission has suffered casualties, raising concerns about its ability to achieve its objectives amid escalating violence.
The SADC paid tribute to fallen soldiers from the DRC, South Africa, Malawi and Tanzania who lost their lives in the mission. The decision to withdraw marks a shift in the bloc’s approach to the conflict. While reaffirming its commitment to peace and security in the DRC, the SADC signaled a move away from direct military intervention, emphasising the need for political and diplomatic solutions involving both state and non-state actors.
