Luanda - The second ministerial meeting on the peace and security situation in the East of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), held on Tuesday in Luanda, agreed a ceasefire, starting at midnight on the 4th of August.
The meeting, chaired by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Angola, Téte António, brought together the heads of diplomacy of the DRC, Thérèse Kayikwamba Wagner, and of Rwanda, Olivier Jean Patrick Nduhungirehe, at the same table.
According to the meeting's final communiqué, the ceasefire will be supervised by the strengthened Ad Hoc Verification Mechanism.
Before the talks began, the delegations were at the Presidential Palace, where they were received by the President of the Republic, João Lourenço, African Champion of Peace and Reconciliation and mediator mandated by the African Union for the peace process in the DRC.
The Tuesday's meeting follows the ministerial session on March 21, 2024, in which delegations from the three countries concluded that it is imperative to achieve sustainable peace in the East of DRC, to enhance economic development and well-being, social status of communities in these neighboring countries and the Great Lakes subregion.
These initiatives aim to encourage dialogue at the highest level and re-establish an environment of trust between both parties, to prevent the current political crisis from turning into a regional conflict.
The conflict in eastern DRC, which has persisted since 2022, is led by forces from the M23 rebel movement, which have reportedly been supported by Rwandan government forces.
The attacks, which resumed in December 2023, target civilian populations, as well as violating human rights, including the occupation of several areas in Congolese territory, which constitutes a clear violation of the Luanda and Nairobi Processes, thus harming diplomatic efforts and initiatives for peace and stability in that country. ART/DOJ
