Kinshasa - The capital of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Kinshasa, is this Monday the scene of yet another Angolan mediation exercise in the quest for a definitive solution to the political-military conflict between this country and Rwanda, which has just reached a ceasefire.
Since midnight August 4, both parties in conflict agreed observing a pause in hostilities following official talks on July 30 between delegations from the respective countries, mediated by Angola.
The ceasefire agreement signed in Luanda by the foreign ministers of the DRC and Rwanda, followed a meeting between delegations from the two countries, held at the headquarters of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MIREX), under the mediation of the head of Angolan diplomacy, Téte António.
The act would slow down the wave of mutual accusations about support for military insurrection to destabilize one country and the other, with Kinshasa denouncing Kigali's alleged military support for the M23 rebel group, which Rwanda has denied.
The immediate telephone contacts made by the mediator of the process, Angolan Head of State João Lourenço, on July 31, with President Félix Tshisekedi of the DRC, and with Rwandan statesman Paul Kagame a day later, served as a foundation for respect for the ceasefire agreement reached in Luanda on July 30.
These initiatives were joined by others by the Angolan President, in his capacity as chairperson of the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region (ICGLR) and Champion for Peace and Reconciliation in Africa, including a conversation, also by telephone, with the US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, on August 7.
The ceasefire agreement was also the subject of a meeting between the Angolan President and his South African counterpart, Cyril Ramaphosa, early on Thursday in Luanda, on a working visit to Angola lasting a few hours.
Cyril Ramaphosa congratulated João Lourenço’s efforts to reach the ceasefire and said hopes that it would be permanent.
In June, during an official visit to Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire, João Lourenço announced that the Angolan mediation was producing encouraging results for the resolution of the DRC-Rwanda conflict, despite the fact that some events during the process undermined all the efforts made.
Recently, in the context of the visit to Angola by the President of Madagascar, Andry Rajoelina, on August 1, the Angolan president stated that the countries in conflict would work to prevent any setbacks and to negotiate a definitive peace agreement.
On August 6, the UN Security Council authorized a resolution which, for the permanent representative of Sierra Leone, Michael Imran Kanu, sought to create an environment leading to the implementation of ongoing regional peace efforts, including welcoming the recent ceasefire agreement mediated by Angola.
The Angolan Head of State's visit to Kinshasa on Monday is marked by great interest in a meeting with his counterpart Félix Tshisekedi, as part of the marathon efforts to bring peace to the region, particularly the east of the DRC.
The AU-designated Mediator landed at N'djili International Airport this afternoon, a day after attending the inauguration of Paul Kagame, re-elected president of Rwanda.
Angola-DRC relations
In July, Angola and the Democratic Republic of Congo reviewed the level of bilateral cooperation, especially in the political, diplomatic, economic and commercial spheres, as well as the prevailing security situation in the Great Lakes region.
Bilateral cooperation between Angola and the DRC, sharing a vast land, sea and river border, has its legal framework based on the General Agreement for Economic, Scientific and Cultural Cooperation signed in 1978.
Both countries are members of the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS), the Southern African Development Community (SADC) and the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region, currently chaired by Angola.
Angola-Rwanda relation
The legal basis for bilateral cooperation between Angola and Rwanda was established on May 15, 2014, with the signing of the Framework Agreement on Economic, Technical-Scientific and Cultural Cooperation, and the Agreement on the creation of the Bilateral Commission.
Both countries are members of the (ECCAS) and ICGLR.
The two countries signed nine legal instruments in Kigali on April 15, 2022, including agreements on the exemption of double taxation, extradition, mutual legal assistance in criminal matters, transfer of sentenced persons, and a memorandum of understanding in the field of agriculture and livestock development.
The Ministers of Foreign Affairs of Angola, Téte António, and of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of the Republic of Rwanda, Olivier Jean Patrick Nduhungirehe, recently reiterated the commitment to deepen political consultations on matters of common interest at regional, continental and international level. ADR/VIC/TED/AMP
