Luanda - The President of the Republic of Angola, João Lourenço, spoke on Wednesday by phone with his counterpart from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Félix Tshisekedi, about the ceasefire agreement in the eastern region of this country.
The agreement, reached under Angola's mediation on Tuesday in Luanda, during the 2nd ministerial meeting on the peace and security situation in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), establishes a ceasefire, starting at midnight on August 4.
The meeting, chaired by Angolan Foreign Minister Téte António, brought together the heads of diplomacy of the DRC, Thérèse Kayikwamba Wagner, and Rwanda, Olivier Jean Patrick Nduhungirehe, and according to the final communiqué of the meeting, the ceasefire will be supervised by the reinforced Ad Hoc Verification Mechanism.
The meeting followed the ministerial session on March 21, 2024, in which the delegations of the three countries concluded that it is imperative to achieve sustainable peace in eastern DRC, to enhance the economic development and social well-being of the communities of the two neighboring countries and the Great Lakes sub-region.
These initiatives aim to encourage dialogue at the highest level and to re-establish an environment of trust between the two parties, in order to prevent the current political crisis from turning into a regional conflict.
The conflict in eastern DRC, which has persisted since 2022, involves forces of the M23 rebel movement, which are allegedly supported by Rwandan government forces.
The attacks, which resumed in December 2023, targeted civilians, as well as the violation of human rights, including the occupation of several areas in Congolese territory, which constitutes a clear violation of the Luanda and Nairobi Processes, thus undermining diplomatic efforts and initiatives for peace and stability in the DRC. SC/ART/DOJ
