‘Peace talks’ between M23 rebels and DR Congo to start in Angola on March 18
“Direct peace talks” between M23 rebels and Democratic Republic of Congo are set to start in Luanda on March 18, Angola’s presidency announced in a statement Wednesday. In January, the Rwanda-backed rebels launched a lightning advance in eastern DRC, moving in on the key cities of Goma and Bukavu.
Issued on: 12/03/2025 - 21:21Modified: 12/03/2025 - 21:25
Previous rounds of peace talks mediated by Angola have failed to halt the fighting between the Congolese army and the M23, in a volatile region of the DRC riven by infighting between various armed groups.
But on Tuesday, Angola said the two sides had agreed to come to the negotiating table, after Congolese President Felix Tshisekedi discussed the conflict with his Angolan counterpart Joao Lourenco.
It offered no timetable for when the negotiations would take place.
“Following the steps taken by the Angolan mediation ... delegations from the Democratic Republic of Congo and the M23 will begin direct peace talks on March 18 in the city of Luanda,” the Angolan presidency said in a statement.
Tshisekedi had previously refused to engage in dialogue with the M23, which has carried out a lightning offensive in the eastern DRC with Rwanda’s backing.
In a post on X, M23 leader Bertrand Bisimwa boasted of forcing Tshisekedi to the negotiating table, calling it “the only civilised option to resolve the current crisis”.
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Since January the M23 has moved in on the two key cities of Goma and Bukavu.
The M23’s advance has killed more than 7,000 people since the beginning of this year, according to the DRC. AFP has not been able to verify that figure independently.
Rwanda denies providing the M23 with military assistance.
But a UN experts’ report found that Rwanda maintains around 4,000 troops in the eastern DRC in support of the armed group.
Rwanda also maintains de facto control over the armed group in order to exploit the eastern DRC’s rich veins of valuable minerals such as gold and coltan, according to the report.
To justify its backing for the M23, Rwanda has pointed to the presence in the eastern DRC of militants from the FDLR, founded by Hutu leaders involved in the 1994 Rwandan genocide of the Tutsis.
(FRANCE 24 with AFP, Reuters)
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