“In continuation of the efforts carried out by Angolan mediation in the conflict affecting the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo, the Government of the Republic of Angola makes public that delegations from the Democratic Republic of Congo and the M23 will begin direct negotiations for peace, on March 18, in the city of Luanda”, reads the only paragraph of the statement.
The announcement follows the announcement on Monday on the Presidency's website that Angola would begin contacts with the M23 rebels to bring delegations from this armed movement and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRCongo) to Luanda to put an end to the conflict in the east of the country.
The initiative was made after a visit by the Democratic-Congolese President, Félix Tshisekedi, who met on Monday in Luanda with João Lourenço, who has acted as a mediator in the conflict.
The rebel group March 23 Movement (M23) has been advancing on Democratic Congolese territory since January, when it took Goma, capital of North Kivu province.
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 the neighboring province of South Kivu.
The rebels now control 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 7,000 people, of which around 2,500 were buried without identification.
Armed activity by 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, advancing on several fronts and raising fears of a possible regional war.
It is estimated that more than 8,500 people have lost their lives due to ongoing violence since January, and approximately 600,000 people have been displaced since November 2024. The President of the Republic 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.
Angola assumed the rotating presidency of the African Union in February, keeping João Lourenço as mediator in this conflict.
The various attempts to bring the conflicting parties together at the same table have so far been frustrated.
