In the midst of rising border tensions, Angolan President Joao Lourenço says the Democratic Republic of the Congo has agreed to release two Rwandan soldiers detained last week.
Lourenço, who is serving as a mediator, announced the release of the soldiers following separate discussions with his Congolese and Rwandan counterparts.
His office stated that Félix Tshisekedi and Paul Kagame had agreed to meet in Angola, but no date was given.
Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo have both accused the other of assisting armed militias in the border region and encouraging attacks.
It should be recalled that Senegal President Macky Sall, who chairs the African Union, called for dialogue between the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Rwanda on Sunday, as tensions between the two countries rose due to the resurgence of the M23 rebel group.
Congo summoned Rwanda’s ambassador on Saturday and suspended RwandAir flights to Congo in response to Kigali’s alleged support for M23 rebels conducting a military offensive in its eastern borderlands.
“I am seriously concerned by the rising tension between Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
“I call for calm and dialogue between the two countries, and for the peaceful resolution of the crisis with the support of regional mechanisms and the African Union,” Sall said on Twitter.
RwandAir announced on Saturday that it was canceling flights to the DRC after Congolese authorities suspended the carrier and summoned Kigali’s ambassador.