The announcement, made on March 11, 2025, follows a brief visit by DRC President Félix Tshisekedi to Luanda.
Angola, acting as the official mediator in the conflict, confirmed that it will first hold preliminary consultations with M23 representatives to organize a delegation for the upcoming talks with the Kinshasa government.
This decision marks a significant shift by the DRC government, which had previously refused to engage with M23 despite the rebel group's control over large areas in eastern DRC, particularly in North Kivu and South Kivu provinces.
President Tshisekedi has consistently rejected direct engagement with M23. He did not attend the East African Community (EAC) and Southern African Development Community (SADC) summit in Dar es Salaam on February 8, where regional leaders discussed pathways to peace in eastern Congo.
One key resolution from that summit was a formal request urging the DRC government to engage in talks with M23 to find a lasting solution to the conflict. While M23 welcomed the proposal, the Kinshasa administration remained opposed to negotiations, until now.
The pressure on Tshisekedi increased during the African Union (AU) summit held on February 15, which he also skipped to attend a security conference in Munich, Germany. The AU summit endorsed the earlier resolutions from EAC and SADC, reinforcing the call for direct dialogue with M23.
For its part, M23 has long criticized previous peace processes in Nairobi and Luanda, arguing that decisions were made without their involvement.
With Angola's mediation, the upcoming talks mark the first formal dialogue between the two sides after months of escalating conflict.
IGIHE
Source : https://en.igihe.com/news/article/angola-to-host-peace-talks-between-drc-government-and-m23-rebels
