Planned peace talks between the Democratic Republic of Congo (DR Congo) and Rwanda scheduled for Sunday have been cancelled after negotiations failed to reach an agreement, officials announced.
The discussions, hosted by Angola’s President João Lourenço in his capacity as African Union mediator, aimed to resolve the ongoing conflict in eastern DRC, where the Rwanda-backed M23 rebel group has seized significant territory since 2021.
According to the Congolese presidency, the negotiations stalled over Rwanda’s demand that the DRC engage in direct talks with the M23 rebels. Congolese President Félix Tshisekedi refused, asserting that the M23’s existence is directly tied to Rwanda’s military support.
“There is a stalemate because the Rwandans have set as a precondition for the signing of an agreement that the DRC hold a direct dialogue with the M23,” said Giscard Kusema, spokesperson for the Congolese presidency.
Rwanda’s Foreign Minister Olivier Nduhungirehe insisted Friday on “a firm commitment from the DRC to resume direct talks with the M23 within a well-defined framework and timeframe.”
A source within the DRC government countered that if Rwanda were to withdraw its troops in good faith, the conflict with the M23 would cease entirely.
This breakdown follows a fragile truce mediated by Angola in August, which had briefly stabilised the conflict. However, fighting has escalated since late October, with the M23 and Rwandan forces encircling Goma, North Kivu’s capital, home to over one million people and another million displaced by war.
Both nations recently launched a committee to monitor ceasefire violations, but tensions remain high. In November, a document outlining the withdrawal of Rwandan troops from Congolese soil was approved, but disagreements persist over preconditions, including dismantling the FDLR, a militia linked to the 1994 Rwandan genocide.
President Tshisekedi addressed the issue in parliament last week, accusing both the M23 and the Rwandan army of being “enemies of the Republic.”
The conflict has displaced thousands and exacerbated the humanitarian crisis in the mineral-rich but conflict-ridden region. The collapse of talks underscores the challenges in securing a lasting peace between the two central African neighbours.
