Luanda - Angola urged on Tuesday, Jan 21, in New York, the members of the United Nations Security Council to maintain firm support for the Luanda Process that aims to ease political tension between the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Rwanda in order to achieve peace in the region.
According to a press release sent to ANGOP, the head of Angolan diplomacy made this appeal during a working lunch with members of the United Nations Security Council, at the invitation of the minister of Foreign Affairs of Sierra Leone, Alhaji Timothy Kabba, who aimed to address the situation in eastern DRC and the Luanda Process.
In his intervention, he reiterated the firm commitment of the President of the Republic, João Lourenço, and facilitator appointed by the African Union, in the effective search for peace and security in this region of the continent.
Téte António considered it crucial that the parties continue to defend and fully respect the ceasefire, agreed by the DRC and Rwanda on July 30th in Luanda, which came into force on August 4th, 2024.
Summit
He recalled that an Angola-Rwanda-DRC Tripartite Summit was scheduled to take place in Luanda, on Dec 15, and would bring together the host, João Lourenço, and Presidents Félix Tshisekedi and Paul Kagame, respectively from DRC and Rwanda.
According to the diplomat, the meeting should address the achievements made within the scope of the Luanda Process, since March 2024, and the Draft Agreement presented by the Facilitator to both parties in August 2024.
He informed that during the Ministerial Meeting held on Dec 14, 2024, in Luanda, divergent views emerged regarding the resolution of the M-23 issue, the only and still pending one, to finalize and consolidate the Draft Peace Agreement.
In this context, he expressed concern about the lack of consensus on this crucial issue regarding the two countries and regretted the postponement of the summit following Rwanda's last-minute request.
He explained that the Angolan Head of State took the opportunity and met with the President of the DRC, Felix Tshisekedi, and Uhuru Kenyatta, former President of Kenya and Facilitator of the Nairobi Process, who traveled to Luanda to attend the summit.
M23
During his address, the Angolan diplomacy head said that, despite the postponement of the Summit, Angola continues diplomatic consultations with the two countries to explore ways to overcome the only remaining issue regarding the M23.
On the other hand, minister Téte António expressed deep concern about the recent "escalation of the conflict and the occupation by the M23 of more areas", particularly in the province of North Kivu, as evidenced by the occupation of Masisi and the establishment of an illegal parallel administration.
"These actions undermine ongoing efforts to achieve lasting peace and stability in Eastern DRC and represent a flagrant and unacceptable violation of the ceasefire in force since August 4", he clarified.
However, he highlighted the significant progress achieved by the Luanda Process, namely the ceasefire of August 4, 2024, the Harmonized Plan for Neutralization of the FDLR and Disengagement of Forces, Lifting of Defense Measures for Rwanda, the Operationalization of the Mechanism of Reinforced Verification, as well as the Proposed Agreement submitted by the Facilitator to the parties.
In conclusion, he urged the parties to prioritize the interests of their people and the common good, to achieve a lasting solution to the conflict that has prevailed in that sub-region for more than 30 years.
VIC/CF/jmc
