Congo-Kinshasa: DR Congo, Rwanda Overseas Ministers Meet in Angola

Rwanda’s Overseas Minister Vincent Biruta and his Congolese counterpart Christophe Lutundula on Thursday, March 21, met within the Angolan capital Luanda for high-level consultations meant to analyse the problem of safety and peace in jap DR Congo, the Angolan ministry of overseas affairs mentioned on Friday.

The assembly of the 2 nations’ delegations adopted one-on-one engagements of Angola’s President Joao Lourenço and Congolese leaders Felix Tshisekedi and Rwanda’s President Paul Kagame.

Lourenço is the mediator between Rwanda and DR Congo below the African Union-backed Luanda process, which seeks to amend diplomatic relations that have been affected by the battle in jap DR Congo, the place a government-led coalition is fighting the M23 rebels.

The Angolan chief is anticipated to host the assembly of Presidents Tshisekedi and Kagame, in response to studies.

Following months of belligerent rhetoric by Congolese leaders and a number of calls to return to negotiations, the Luanda process was revived by regional leaders at a gathering within the Ethiopian capital on February 16.

As a follow-up on the Addis Ababa assembly, on February 27, Lourenço hosted Tshisekedi, who reportedly agreed to a gathering with Rwanda’s President Kagame.

Lourenço additionally acquired President Kagame on March 11. In line with Village Urugwiro, the 2 leaders agreed on steps towards addressing the root causes of the eastern DR Congo conflict and the necessity to uphold the Luanda course of and its sister initiative, the Nairobi course of, each of which search to discover a lasting resolution to decades-old violence in jap DR Congo.

DR Congo accuses Rwanda of supporting the rebels, allegations the Rwandan authorities dismisses.

Rwanda accuses the Congolese armed forces (FARDC) of integrating the FDLR, a UN-sanctioned militia linked to the 1994 Genocide towards the Tutsi in Rwanda.

The FDLR is a part of the Congolese government-led coalition that features Burundian forces, troops from the Southern African Improvement Group (SADC), combating M23 rebels.

The terrorist group poses a risk to Rwanda and is accused of spreading hate and violence against Congolese Tutsi communities.

Other than the FDLR, root causes of the violence in jap DR Congo embrace decades-long persecution and alienation of Kinyarwanda-speaking communities within the area.

The FDLR has whipped up violence and hate speech against the Congolese communities, ensuing within the exile of lots of of 1000’s of Congolese folks. Rwanda alone hosts as much as 100,000 of Congolese refugees, a few of whom have lived in camps for practically 30 years.

The FDLR was based in Could 2000 with the assistance of the Congolese political and navy leaders – a fact admitted by one in every of its founders and former vp, Straton Musoni, who now lives in Rwanda.

In an fascinating twist of occasions, and following mounting stress, the Congolese military in November 2023 ordered that all its soldiers end any contact with the FDLR. Nevertheless, the FDLR remained integrated into the Congolese armed forces, in response to the Rwandan authorities.

The FDLR not solely threatens DR Congo’s safety however has additionally launched assaults on Rwanda for greater than twenty years. A 2019 assault by one in every of its factions killed 14 people in Musanze District.

Jap DR Congo has been unstable for practically 30 years and stays house to greater than 130 armed teams. A number of interventions have failed to finish many years of violence.