The meeting of the delegations of the DR Congo and the M23 for direct negotiations to achieve peace is expected to take place in Luanda in the coming days.
The initiative, published on the website of the Presidency of the Republic, comes after the situation in the DRC was once again analyzed by Presidents João Lourenço and Félix Antoine Tshisekedi, during a meeting they held this Tuesday in Luanda.
According to a brief statement from the Presidency of the Republic, to which VerAngola had access, the President of the Republic and his DRC counterpart, Félix Antoine Tshisekedi, met at the Presidential Palace.
The meeting served for them to talk about the situation in the DRC.
"The two heads of state met alone for consultations on the prevailing situation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo," the statement said.
It is worth noting that the situation in the DRC has been a very present topic on João Lourenço's agenda, who met with a delegation of clergy from the DRC this Monday. At the meeting, the clerics urged João Lourenço to work for peace and "rapid stability" in the DRC.
The March 23 Movement (M23) rebel group has been advancing into Congolese territory since January, when it took over the capital of North Kivu province, Goma.
In February, the M23, which is supported by Rwanda – according to the UN and countries such as the US, Germany and France – took control of Bukavu, the strategic capital of South Kivu.
The group now controls the capitals of these two provinces, which border Rwanda and are rich in minerals such as gold and coltan essential for the technology industry and the manufacture of mobile phones.
Since Monday they have occupied a new territory, the Kaziba district, which is almost 45 kilometers from Bukavu.
On February 24, the Prime Minister of the Democratic Republic of Congo, Judith Suminwa, declared in Geneva that, according to figures from the Ministry of Public Health, since last January the conflict has caused the death of more than 7000 people, of which around 2500 were buried without identification.
The armed activity of the M23 – a group made up mainly of Tutsis victims of the 1994 Rwandan genocide – resumed in November 2021 with lightning attacks against the government army in North Kivu, having advanced on several fronts and raising fears of a possible regional war.
It is estimated that more than 8500 people have lost their lives due to ongoing violence since January, and approximately 600,000 people have been displaced since November 2024.
President João Lourenço has acted as a mediator in the conflict in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, having been designated by the African Union as a facilitator to promote peace and security in the region and reduce tensions between the DR Congo and Rwanda.
Under his initiative, the Luanda process has been a diplomatic platform for a peaceful resolution of the conflict, with meetings involving the two countries having been held and a short-term ceasefire having been achieved.
However, despite diplomatic efforts, the violation of the ceasefire and the capture of strategic territories by the M23 led to an escalation of the armed conflict.
Angola assumed the rotating presidency of the African Union in February, keeping João Lourenço as mediator in this conflict.
