A much-anticipated peace summit between Central African rivals Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) flopped when Rwandan President Paul Kagame failed to turn up. Instead, the mediator, Angolan President João Lourenço, met with DRC’s Félix Tshisekedi alongside former Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta in the capital, Luanda, on 15 December.
Kigali stated Kinshasa deadlocked the summit by refusing to hold direct talks with the M23 militia. Congo’s presidency said the reason for the collapsed discussions was that the Rwandan delegation refused to participate. DRC and the UN say that Rwanda backs M23. A UN experts report published on 4 June said that in January 2024, at least 1,000 Rwandan troops entered the DRC through various border crossings east of Kibumba, Rutshuru territory, reinforcing M23 positions and helping it seize more territory. The same report estimated that Rwanda had sent 3,000 to 4,000 troops by the time the report was being drafted in May. In July, Angola mediated a ceasefire between the M23 and Congo. By October, Angola accused the group of violating the agreement.
In November, DRC and Rwanda signed the Concept of Operations (CONOPS), a key agreement outlining a plan to propel the peace process in eastern DRC. The involved parties expected the just-aborted peace talks to build on this deal.
A vicious three-decade resource war, one of the most significant and devastating conflicts in recent history, has pitted more than 120 militia groups, which the UN says are backed by foreign governments and interests, against each other. This war has claimed the lives of about 6 million people, internally displaced over 7 million, and resulted in numerous cases of s*xual abuse. DRC holds an estimaed $24 trillion worth of untapped minerals, attracting powerful foreign entities keen to extract its wealth for their industries.
Sources:
https://www.eac.int/nairobiprocess
https://www.enca.com/news/eastern-drc-peace-talks-fail-angola-summit-cancelled
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/1/13/un-says-all-peacekeepers-will-leave-dr-congo-by-end-of-2024
https://www.barrons.com/news/angola-accuses-m23-of-violating-ceasefire-in-dr-congo-fb3749df
https://documents.un.org/doc/undoc/gen/n24/118/80/pdf/n2411880.pdf
https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/research-briefings/cbp-10089
https://x.com/4thPresidentKE/status/1868321455026651212
https://medafricatimes.com/37613-drc-and-rwanda-take-a-step-forward-in-the-peace-process.html