LUANDA, Angola
Direct peace talks between the Democratic Republic of Congo and M23 rebels will begin in the Angolan capital on March 18, Angola's presidency said in a statement on Wednesday.
The Southern African country
has been trying to mediate a lasting ceasefire and de-escalate tensions between
the DRC and neighboring Rwanda, which has been accused of backing the Tutsi-led
rebel group. Rwanda denies those allegations.
Angola announced on Tuesday
that it will act as a mediator in the ongoing conflict between the Democratic
Republic of Congo and the Rwanda-backed M23 rebel group, according to a
statement released by the Angolan president’s office.
ALSO READ: Angola
to engage with M23 rebels for talks with DRC government
Congolese President Félix
Tshisekedi went to Angola to explore the possibility of a peace process. The
statement confirmed that Luanda will begin establishing contact with both
Kinshasa and M23 rebels, with direct negotiations set to take place in the coming
days.
This move marks a change in
Angola’s approach, as previous peace talks hosted by Luanda had excluded M23,
focusing instead on engagement with Rwanda.
M23 is one of nearly 100 armed
groups operating in mineral-rich eastern DR Congo, where conflict has created
one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises, displacing more than 7 million
people.
In a rapid three-week
offensive, M23 seized control of Goma, the largest city in the nation, and
captured Bukavu, the second-largest, last month.
Amid the intensifying
conflict, the UN Human Rights Council has launched an investigation into
allegations of serious human rights violations by both sides, including rape
and “summary executions”.
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