Diplomacy Negotiations between DR Congo and M23 militia begin Tuesday
In the escalated conflict between the Democratic Republic of Congo and the M23 militia, Angola has announced the start of negotiations next week. Angola is acting as a mediator in the conflict.
13.03.2025, 00:04
SDA
Based on Angola's efforts, "delegations from the Democratic Republic of Congo and the M23 will begin direct peace talks on March 18" in Angola's capital Luanda, the country's presidency announced on Wednesday.
Congolese President Félix Tshisekedi met President João Lourenço in Angola on Tuesday. The Angolan presidential office then announced that peace negotiations would be held soon. Peace talks had not yet gotten off the ground because Tshisekedi had repeatedly rejected a dialog with the M23. The militia had declared its willingness to engage in "dialog" in February.
Support from Rwanda
Since January, the M23 militia, supported by Rwandan soldiers, had taken over large areas in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo, including the provincial capitals of Goma and Bukavu. According to Congolese figures, more than 7,000 people have been killed in the fighting since the beginning of the year. Hundreds of thousands of people have been displaced.
According to the UN, Rwanda is supporting the M23 militia with around 4,000 soldiers. The Congolese government accuses the neighboring country of wanting to exploit the mineral resources of the eastern provinces of North and South Kivu. Rwanda denies this and states that it wants to fight armed groups in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo that it sees as a threat to its own territory.
