A highly anticipated meeting between the presidents of Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo, scheduled for Sunday in Angola, has been canceled, dashing hopes for progress in resolving the M23 rebel conflict that has displaced over 1.9 million people.
The summit, part of ongoing negotiations to ease tensions between the neighboring countries, was expected to mark a rare face-to-face interaction between the central African leaders.
Optimism had grown that the meeting would yield a deal to curb the nearly three-year insurgency, which has destabilized eastern Congo and raised fears of a broader regional conflict akin to the devastating Great Lakes wars between 1996 and 2003, which claimed millions of lives.
Congo’s government announced on Saturday that the cancellation was due to Rwanda’s refusal to attend. Kigali had reportedly conditioned the signing of a peace agreement on Congo holding direct negotiations with the M23 rebels—a condition Kinshasa rejected.
Rwanda’s foreign minister, Olivier Nduhungirehe, confirmed the postponement but declined to provide further details.
The proposed peace plan involved Rwanda dismantling its so-called defensive measures in exchange for Congo neutralizing the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR), a Hutu rebel group accused of targeting Tutsis in both countries.
However, the peace process has been marred by mutual accusations.
Congo and the United Nations allege that Rwanda has fueled the M23 rebellion by providing troops and weapons to the group, which was formed to protect the interests of Congolese Tutsis—an ethnic group linked to Rwandan President Paul Kagame. Rwanda denies these claims, instead accusing Congo of recruiting FDLR fighters to combat M23.
U.N. experts earlier this year reported the presence of 3,000–4,000 Rwandan troops in Congo, asserting they maintained “de facto control” over M23 operations. Both countries remain deeply entrenched in their positions, leaving the path to peace uncertain.
