On Monday, Nduhungirehe reacted to an article published by Africa Intelligence, which claimed that during a recent ministerial meeting in Luanda, Angola, the DRC had requested Rwanda withdraw its forces and the M23 rebels before signing an agreement aimed at combating the FDLR.
Minister Nduhungirehe dismissed the claims as false, explaining that during the discussions in Luanda on September 14, 2024, M23 was not part of the agenda.
'This is false information spread by ill-intentioned officials. During the 4th Ministerial Meeting under the Luanda Process, held in Angola on September 14, 2024, military and intelligence experts from all three countries, including the Head of Military Intelligence from the DRC, reiterated their support for the harmonized plan they had adopted in Rubavu on August 29-30, 2024, to neutralize the FDLR and lift Rwanda's defensive measures. They all three requested the Ministers to endorse it,' Nduhungirehe said.
The intelligence experts who convened in Rubavu had proposed steps to neutralize the FDLR, a group Rwanda sees as a long-standing threat to its security, due to its close cooperation with the Congolese army (FARDC).
The Rubavu meeting, attended by DRC intelligence officials, resulted in conclusions meant to be ratified by the ministers in Luanda, with DRC representatives initially in agreement.
However, Nduhungirehe explained that upon arrival in Luanda, the situation shifted. The DRC's Foreign Minister, Thérèse Kayikwamba Wagner, refused to sign the conclusions reached by the experts regarding the eradication of the FDLR.
"This plan was endorsed by the Foreign Ministers of Angola and Rwanda. However, the DRC's Foreign Minister alone rejected the harmonized plan and opposed a new meeting of experts proposed by the facilitator for September 30 to October 1, 2024, to develop a concept of operations [CONOPS] for the plan," Nduhungirehe stated.
Regarding claims of discussions about M23 withdrawing from Congolese territory, Nduhungirehe dismissed these as baseless.
'There was no plan discussed for the withdrawal of M23 from Congolese territory, a territory that is also theirs,' he noted.
DR Congo's reluctance has reportedly delayed further meetings aimed at restoring relations between the two countries.
IGIHE
