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The Angolan Minister of Foreign Affairs announced that an agreement was reached for an immediate ceasefire from Friday at 6 p.m. in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. This truce was brokered at the end of a mini-summit in Luanda
The Angolan Minister of Foreign Affairs announced that an agreement was reached for an immediate ceasefire from Friday at 6 p.m. in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. This truce was brokered at the end of a mini-summit in Luanda.
Congolese President Felix Tshisekedi met with Rwandan Foreign Minister Vincent Biruta, in the absence of President Paul Kagame, to try to end the recent tensions in eastern DRC. The cease-fire agreement reached in July was violated. The parties also agreed to demand the immediate withdrawal of the M23 rebels from the occupied areas.
Angolan President and African Union-appointed mediator Joao Lourenço received the delegations. The eastern DRC has been in the grip of violence from armed groups for the last 30 years, which owes its origin to the 1994 Rwandan genocide.
DRC accuses its neighbour Rwanda of backing the M23, something that UN experts and US officials have also pointed to in recent months. It’s been 20 years since M23 briefly took over Goma before being forced out after a 10-day occupation.
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Kenya’s former leader Uhuru Kenyatta and a facilitator appointed by the East African community have been attempting to mediate over recent weeks. He said that Rwandan President Paul Kagame was ready to encourage the militia to cease fire and pull back from captured territory. Kigali denies supporting the M23 while accusing Kinshasa of colluding with the FDLR, a former Rwandan Hutu rebel group established in the DRC after the 1994 genocide of mainly Tutsis in Rwanda. Kenyan President Ruto is also involved in brokering peace in the region.
