President Lourenço addressed the recent fighting in North Kivu on January 24, 2025, particularly around the city of Sake, and in South Kivu Province.
He urged all parties involved in the conflict to respect human rights, protect civilians, and ensure the safety of personnel from the joint verification mechanism monitoring the ceasefire.
In December 2024, Rwanda and the DRC halted the Luanda dialogue after failing to reach an agreement on the M23 rebel group's demand for direct talks with the DRC government to achieve lasting peace.
Rwanda had called for direct negotiations between the DRC government and M23, but the DRC rejected this, maintaining that its preferred approach was to continue military action against the group, which controls large parts of North Kivu Province.
President Lourenço reiterated that a military solution cannot resolve the insecurity in Eastern DRC and called for a resumption of the Luanda peace talks.
Since January 23, 2025, M23 rebels have controlled the city of Sake, located just over 20 kilometers from Goma. Meanwhile, the DRC government has continued to reject any negotiations with the group.
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