The Rwandan-backed M23 rebel group has confirmed its participation in upcoming peace talks with the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) government.
The negotiations, scheduled to begin on Tuesday in Angola’s capital, Luanda, mark a significant step toward addressing the ongoing conflict in eastern Congo.
Lawrence Kanyuka, spokesperson for the AFC rebel alliance that includes M23, announced on Monday that a five-member delegation is en route to Luanda.
The move follows an invitation from Angolan authorities, who have been mediating efforts to establish a lasting ceasefire and ease tensions between Congo and neighboring Rwanda.
In a notable shift, DRC President Felix Tshisekedi’s office confirmed on Sunday that Kinshasa would also send representatives to the peace talks. This decision reverses the government’s previous stance of refusing to negotiate with the M23 rebels.
Angola’s mediation aims to address deep-rooted hostilities that trace back to Rwanda’s 1994 genocide, which spilled into Congo and fueled long-standing conflict over the nation’s vast mineral resources.
The situation has worsened this year, with M23 gaining control of territories it had never previously occupied, including some of eastern Congo’s largest cities and several smaller communities.
The United Nations and other observers have accused Rwanda of supporting the Tutsi-led M23 rebels by supplying weapons and deploying soldiers—a charge Rwanda denies. Kigali maintains that its forces act in self-defense against Congolese forces and hostile militias.
The humanitarian toll of the conflict has been devastating. Since January, Congo’s government estimates that at least 7,000 people have been killed in the violence, with over 600,000 displaced since November, according to the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.
The Angola talks are seen as a crucial step in finding a resolution to the crisis, which has left thousands dead and uprooted entire communities.
