The Angolan Presidency, mediator in the conflict, announced this Wednesday, one day after a visit to Luanda by the President of the DR Congo, Félix Tshisekedi, that direct negotiations between the Government of Kinshasa and the M23 will begin on March 18 in Luanda.
The rebel movement, which took up arms again in 2021, however, expressed a number of “concerns”, including the “absolute need” for Tshisekedi to “express publicly and unambiguously his commitment to direct negotiations” with the M23.
Silent since the announcement of Angolan mediation, Tshisekedi has repeatedly refused any direct talks with the armed group, which he has described on several occasions as “terrorists”.
Tshisekedi's spokesperson limited herself to saying that she “took note” of the “initiatives” announced by the Angolan Presidency, without mentioning the announcement of future direct talks.
“We are waiting to see the application of this approach by the Angolan mediation,” Tina Salama simply said on the social network X. M23 also claims that it has not yet been “formally informed” by the Angolan mediation and asks Luanda to “officially inform the parties involved of its initiative and its terms of reference.”
The rebels, who say they are fighting to defend the interests of the Tutsi population in eastern DR Congo, are backed by around 4,000 Rwandan soldiers, experts say.
Since 2021, it has taken control of vast swathes of territory in the provinces of North Kivu and South Kivu, which share a border with Rwanda.
In a lightning offensive in recent months, it took over Goma at the end of January and Bukavu in mid-February, the capitals, respectively, of those two provinces.
