 "M23 rebels escort government soldiers and police who surrendered at an undisclosed location in Goma, Democratic Republic of the Congo. File image/AP")
Rwanda-backed M23 armed group, which recently made substantial gains in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, capturing swathes of land in the resource-rich area, on Monday (March 17) confirmed that it was sending a delegation to Angola for peace talks with the DRC government.
“A delegation of five people” was on its way to Luanda on Monday “for direct talks, at the request of the Angolan authorities”, M23 spokesman Lawrence Kanyuka said on social media platform X (Twitter).
The talks are scheduled to start on Tuesday (March 18) in Angola’s capital city, Luanda. Joao Lourenco, the Angolan President, has been appointed to mediate the conflict by the African Union.
Lourenco’s office had last week announced that it was organising “direct dialogue” between the Rwandan-backed M23 and the government in Kinshasa.
On Sunday (March 16), a spokeswoman for Congolese President Felix Tshisekedi said the government in Kinshasa would send a delegation to Luanda on Tuesday “at the invitation of the mediator to hear what they have to say”.
Impact Shorts
More ShortsKinshasa has so far refused to negotiate directly with the M23.
The government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has announced rewards for the capture of several leaders of the M23 movement and the Congo River Alliance (AFC), a political-military coalition that includes M23.
Since January, M23 has gained control of Goma and Bukavu, the main cities in the eastern provinces of North and South Kivu, which are rich in natural resources and located near the Rwandan border.
United Nations experts claim that M23 is being supported militarily by approximately 4,000 Rwandan soldiers.
With inputs from AFP