Luanda – Angola has been hosting, since Saturday morning, the 4th Ministerial Meeting on the Situation of Security and Peace in the East of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
The meeting taking place in Luanda is being mediated by the Angolan Minister of Foreign Affairs, Téte António, with the participation of the heads of diplomacy of the DRC, Théresé Wagner, and Rwanda, Olivier Jean Nduhungirehe.
The agenda of this 4th Ministerial Session includes the consideration of the Intelligence Experts' Report, as well as the approval of the Minutes of the 3rd Ministerial Meeting, held in Luanda, from 20 to 21 August of this year.
As in previous meetings, this meeting aims to strengthen dialogue and cooperation between the parties involved, aiming at the stabilization of the East of the Democratic Republic of Congo.
The event is the result of recent visits that the President of the Republic of Angola, João Lourenço, as mediator appointed by the African Union, made to Kigali and Kinshasa, on 11 and 12 August.
On the occasion, the Angolan Head of State delivered a Proposal for a Peace Agreement to Presidents Paul Kagame and Félix Tshisekedi.
In this context, this meeting continues to address, essentially, the proposal for lasting peace submitted to the parties, aiming at a common understanding, regarding a negotiated and peaceful solution to the conflict prevailing in the Eastern Region of the DRC, which has worsened since the end of 2023.
In his speech at the 44th SADC Summit, held in August in Harare, Zimbabwe, President João Lourenço said that the conflict in eastern DRC is a challenge that 'we have been facing, with encouraging prospects'.
'Taking into account the understandings reached on the ceasefire in that region between the Republic of Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo in force since August 4, we will work towards specific steps towards the negotiation and signing of a definitive peace agreement', ', he said
Before this proposal, Angola had already suggested the Luanda Roadmap, a document that points out the paths for the pacification of Eastern DRC.
The conflict in eastern DRC, which has persisted since 2022, is led by forces of the M23 rebel movement, allegedly supported by Rwandan government forces.
The attacks, which resumed in December 2023, target civilian populations, as well as human rights violations, including the occupation of several areas in Congolese territory, which constitutes a clear violation of the Luanda and Nairobi Processes, undermining diplomatic efforts and initiatives for peace and stability in that neighboring country of Angola. ART/DOJ
