The “direct peace talks” between M23 rebels and Democratic Republic of Congo are set to start in Luanda on March 18, Angola’s presidency announced in a statement Wednesday.
Back in January, the Rwanda-backed rebels launched a lightning advance in eastern DRC, moving in on the key cities of Goma and Bukavu.
Previous rounds of peace talks mediated by Angola have failed to halt the fighting between the Congolese army and the M23, in a volatile region of the DRC riven by infighting between various armed groups.
But on Tuesday, Angola said the two sides had agreed to come to the negotiating table, after Congolese President Felix Tshisekedi discussed the conflict with his Angolan counterpart Joao Lourenco.
It offered no timetable for when the negotiations would take place.
“Following the steps taken by the Angolan mediation, delegations from the Democratic Republic of Congo and the M23 will begin direct peace talks on March 18 in the city of Luanda,” the Angolan presidency said in a statement.
Tshisekedi had previously refused to engage in dialogue with the M23, which has carried out a lightning offensive in the eastern DRC with Rwanda’s backing.
In a post on X, M23 leader Bertrand Bisimwa boasted of forcing Tshisekedi to the negotiating table, calling it “the only civilised option to resolve the current crisis”.
