The Angolan president has “strongly deplored” the seizure of territory in North Kivu by the M23 armed group, which he considered to be an “irresponsible action” that jeopardises pacification efforts in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
In a statement sent to the press, João Lourenço, who has been mediating the conflict between the DRC and Rwanda, criticised the seizure of Masisi territory in North Kivu province by the M23 rebels (who the Congolese government says are supported by Rwanda).
“This irresponsible action seriously compromises the efforts to pacify the conflict prevailing in the eastern region of DRCongo and represents a flagrant and unacceptable violation of the ceasefire that has been in force since 4 August 2024,” wrote the head of state, expressing the Angolan government’s “deep concern” at the escalation of the conflict and the “illegal conquest of territory in the Democratic Republic of Congo”.
The head of the Angolan executive adds that the occupation of this territory also constitutes a violation of the territorial integrity and sovereignty of the DRCongo, stipulated in the Constitutive Act of the African Union and the Charter of the United Nations.
On Monday, the European Union (EU) also strongly condemned the occupation of the village of Masisi and its surroundings by the M23.
European diplomacy considered that the “constant advances by the M23 constitute a flagrant violation of the ceasefire” agreed within the framework of the Luanda process, and that they “considerably jeopardise the efforts made towards a peaceful resolution of the conflict” in eastern DRCongo.
Since November 2021, the M23, an armed group supported by Kigali and its army, has seized vast swathes of territory in eastern DRCongo.
The capital of North Kivu province, Goma, with more than a million inhabitants and almost a million displaced people crammed into camps, is surrounded by rebels and Rwandan army units.
At the end of October, the DRC and Rwanda approved a document setting out, on paper, the terms for the departure of the Rwandan soldiers and the neutralisation by the Congolese army of the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR).
This armed group, made up of former senior Hutu leaders of the 1994 genocide of Tutsis and moderate Hutus in Rwanda, then refugees in the DRC, constitutes a permanent threat in Kigali’s eyes.
Since 2020, Angola has hosted several summits to achieve peace in the region, as part of the regional efforts promoted by the organisations it is part of, such as the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region (ICGLR) and the African Union (AU), and wants to breathe new life into the negotiating rounds to end tensions between the two countries.
João Lourenço, as the mediator appointed by the AU, has been trying to achieve a ceasefire, calling for dialogue between the parties involved and promoting initiatives to stabilise the Great Lakes region, including the Luanda Process.
Since 1998, eastern DRCongo has been plunged into a conflict fuelled by more than a hundred rebel groups and the army, despite the presence of the UN mission in the country (Monusco).
Lusa
