On Tuesday, July 31, a pivotal meeting was held in Luanda, Angola, to address the ongoing regional security concerns with representatives from both Rwanda and the DRC in attendance.
Foreign Affairs Minister Olivier Nduhungirehe, represented Rwanda while the DRC was represented by Foreign Minister, Thérèse Kayikwamba. The meeting was mediated by Angola's President João Lourenço.
Shortly after the meeting, Amb. Nduhungirehe revealed some of the resolutions made. "The 2nd Ministerial Meeting on the Security and Peace Situation in the Eastern DRC, held in Luanda, Angola, concluded successfully. The meeting agreed to a ceasefire between the warring parties in Eastern DRC starting August 4, under the supervision of an enhanced ad hoc mechanism," he said in a statement, shared on his social media handle.
"Rwanda remains committed to achieving lasting peace in the region by addressing the root causes of the conflict," Nduhungirehe emphasized.
He expressed satisfaction with the meeting's outcome, noting that it was conducted with a constructive spirit.
Tensions between Rwanda and its western neighbor escalated in 2022 when the DRC government accused Rwanda of supporting the M23 rebels in the ongoing military conflict with the Congolese Army.
Rwanda strongly denied the allegations and counter acted by blaming DRC of collaborating with the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR), a terrorist group comprised of dissidents of perpetrators of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi, with intentions to destabilize the country.
Rwanda and DRC representatives met in Angola earlier this year in a move to help each other implement measures to restore security in North Kivu province.
In March 2024, it was anticipated that these talks would pave way for a landmark meeting between Rwandan President Paul Kagame and his DRC counterpart Félix Tshisekedi under Angola's stewardship. Both leaders had expressed interest in a face-to-face meeting.
DRC had previously expressed commitment to eliminate the FDLR from the jungles of eastern DRC but recently Christophe Lutundula, the former Minister of Foreign Affairs, told the media in Kinshasa that his government knows nothing regarding the rebels' whereabouts.
IGIHE
Source : https://en.igihe.com/news/article/eastern-drc-ceasefire-announced-after-successful-luanda-talks
