M23 welcomes talks to end DR Congo conflict

KINSHASA, DR Congo

The Rwanda-backed M23 armed group cautiously welcomed the prospect of direct negotiations with the Congolese government to end the conflict in the volatile eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.

Since its 2021 resurgence, the M23 has been fighting the Congolese army there, seizing swathes of the DRC's mineral-rich territory in a region plagued by decades of violence.

In recent months its rapid advance has sparked fears of a wider war drawing in regional powers, while the deaths of peacekeepers from southern Africa prompted a regional bloc to decide to pull its mission to the DRC on Thursday. 

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On Tuesday, Angola said it would host talks in a bid to halt the fighting, later giving a date of March 18 for the beginning of negotiations.

In a statement, the M23 said it "welcomed favourably" the announcement of the talks, to be held in the Angolan capital Luanda.

The armed group nonetheless raised several "concerns", urging Congolese President Felix Tshisekedi to "publicly and unequivocally express his commitment to direct negotiations" as an "absolute necessity".

Tshisekedi had previously refused to engage in direct dialogue with the M23, which he has repeatedly branded a "terrorist" group.

But Angolan President Joao Lourenco had said Tuesday that "direct negotiations" between the two sides would take place, after receiving Tshisekedi for discussions.

Tshisekedi's spokesperson, Tina Salama, said on X that his government took "note" of Angola's efforts but would not be drawn on the specifics.

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Various rounds of talks between the DRC and Rwanda have produced a series of ceasefires and truces that have had little effect on the fighting, which has displaced tens of thousands and triggered a vast humanitarian crisis. 

Both Tshisekedi and his Rwandan counterpart Paul Kagame have been negotiation no-shows on previous occasions. Tshisekedi is yet to comment on the Angolan proposal himself.

A summit between the two leaders announced by Luanda in December foundered after the DRC refused Kigali's request to negotiate with the M23 directly.