On Saturday 5, during a closed-door meeting of Heads of State, Tshisekedi was represented by Bestine Kazadi, Minister of Francophonie. This has been widely viewed as a deliberate and tactical move to avoid a possible meeting with his Rwandan counterpart Paul Kagame.
Tshisekedi also missed the heads of state luncheon at Petit Palais. In the early afternoon, he was seen at the airport, with close associates noting that he was unhappy and frustrated by Macron's handling of the DRC-Rwanda crisis.
A DRC representative was quoted as saying that Macron's diplomacy disappointed his boss, because despite having a positive meeting with Tshisekedi, Macron later delivered a speech that did not meet his expectations.
Congolese officials returning from Paris were angry, claiming that Macron was trying to appease Kagame and that the events in Paris felt more like a "Rwanda summit," given that the OIF is led by Rwandan Louise Mushikiwabo.
Meanwhile Macron has revealed that he had planned to bring together President Paul Kagame of Rwanda and his DRC counterpart for interactive discussions but this did not happen.
During a presser marking the end of the two-day summit, Macron expressed his commitment to resolving the issues between Rwanda and the DRC. However, Macron explained that Tshisekedi declined an opportunity where a possible meeting with Kagame would happen, citing the strained relations between Rwanda and the DRC.
When asked by a journalist whether France was continuing its efforts to mediate between Rwanda and the DRC, Macron confirmed this and mentioned that he had met with Félix Tshisekedi on October 4 and with Paul Kagame on the morning of October 5.
The French President revealed that in these meetings, he informed both leaders that France and La Francophonie desired peace and security to return to eastern DRC.
DRC officials described the Friday with talks Tshisekedi as positive but expressed their desire for Macron to take a stronger stance in favour of the DRC.
'We understand that Macron wants to mediate, but if that's the case, he should not be biased. He condemned Rwanda, which is good. But we are asking him to go further and impose sanctions,' Tshisekedi's representative said
He added that the DRC expected Macron to fully support their position, much like he had with Morocco in its dispute with Algeria.
Throughout the summit, Macron emphasized that France and the OIF were urging both the DRC and Rwanda to continue the Luanda dialogue to achieve peace. He also mentioned that he had conveyed this message to both Kagame and Tshisekedi during their meetings.
"We are clear that France calls for the dismantling of the FDLR and all other armed groups in the DRC, and for hate speech to cease. We also urge political dialogue with M23 and other political actors to pave the way to peace," Macron said.
During the talks between Macron and Kagame on Saturday, which lasted over an hour, Jeune Afrique reported that Kagame presented Rwanda's position on the issues with the DRC, stating that Rwanda was open to dialogue aimed at resolving the conflict.
Rwanda's position on the matter remained unchanged, insisting that the DRC must sever ties with and dismantle the FDLR, while Rwanda would also scale back its security measures.
Macron calls for FDLR's dismantling, M23's return to negotiations
President Macron urged the disbanding of the FDLR, a rebel group operating in eastern DRC, and called for the M23 to return to political negotiations with the DRC government.
The plan to dismantle the FDLR has been a key point in discussions between Rwandan and DRC ministers since they met in Luanda in March 2024, with Angola as a mediator.
While it was anticipated that on September 14, 2024, the delegations from both countries would sign Angola's plan for dismantling the FDLR, the DRC representatives rejected it, despite the known collaboration between DRC forces and the FDLR in fighting M23.
A ceasefire between the M23 and the DRC government forces is another major issue in Luanda talks, although M23 has expressed that it is not bound by these decisions, as it has not participated in the negotiations.
M23's absence from the talks was prompted by the DRC government's refusal to engage with them. The group was excluded from the Nairobi talks led by the East African Community, with the DRC accusing them of reigniting conflict, despite M23 denying the accusations.
Angola recently urged DRC representatives to agree to talks with M23, but the DRC again rejected this, stating that it would not negotiate with a group it labels as a terrorist organization.
After the failed talks on September 14, it is expected that Rwandan and DRC delegations will reconvene in Luanda later in October 2024. This was confirmed by Angola's ambassador to the UN, Francisco José da Cruz, on September 30, 2024.
IGIHE
