Angola is trying to facilitate direct peace negotiations between the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Rwanda-backed M23 rebels. It’s formally invited both sides to peace talks beginning 18 March.
Angola has been at the forefront of the Luanda Process, a regional effort aimed at addressing the interstate aspects of the ongoing crisis between the DRC and Rwanda. In parallel, the Nairobi Process seeks to mediate a resolution involving the 120 armed groups operating in eastern DRC and the Kinshasa government. However, progress on both initiatives has stalled.
President Félix Tshisekedi has consistently refused to engage in talks with M23, which launched a rapid offensive in late December 2024 following the cancellation of planned peace talks in Luanda with Rwandan President Paul Kagame. Since then, M23 has taken control of Goma and Bukavu, the largest cities in eastern DRC, along with numerous towns in the mineral-rich provinces of North and South Kivu.
Tina Salama, the spokesperson for President Tshisekedi, confirmed that Kinshasa had received an invitation to the 18 March talks, but did not provide any confirmation regarding attendance. Meanwhile, Bertrand Bisimwa, the political leader of M23, claimed on social-media platform X that the group had successfully pressured Tshisekedi into considering negotiations.
According to the UN, some 1.65-million people in South Kivu (20% of the province’s population) have been displaced by the recent fighting – with around 7,000 fatalities, as reported by DRC’s prime minister Judith Suminwa.
The DRC has been embroiled in a resource conflict for three decades, involving over 100 foreign-backed militia groups vying for control of the country’s estimated $24 trillion in mineral wealth, which includes high-demand resources such as coltan, cobalt, copper and lithium, which are essential for the transition to clean energy.
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