The country’s leader says attempts to host direct talks between the conflicting parties have failed due to external factors
Angolan President Joao Lourenco is stepping down as a mediator in the conflict in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DR Congo) to focus on his new role as chairman of the African Union (AU), his office said on Monday.
President Lourenco had been attempting to facilitate direct talks between Congolese officials and the M23 rebel group in order to end decades-long fighting in the DR Congo, which escalated earlier this year and has resulted in thousands of deaths.
“Angola recognizes the need to relieve itself of the responsibility of mediating this conflict in eastern DRC, in order to more comprehensively focus on the general priorities established by the continental organization. These priorities pertain to peace and security across the continent as a whole,” the Angolan presidency said in a statement.
Negotiations had been scheduled to begin last Tuesday in Angola’s capital, Luanda, but the militants withdrew at the last minute after the European Union imposed sanctions on the group’s leadership. Previous Angola-mediated peace talks between DR Congo and Rwanda, which Kinshasa has repeatedly accused of supporting the M23, stalled last December after Kigali demanded that the Congolese government engage directly with the rebel group.
Last week, however, Rwandan President Paul Kagame, whose government denies fueling the DR Congo conflict, and his Congolese counterpart, Felix Tshisekedi, agreed to deescalate tensions following a surprise meeting in Doha, mediated by Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani.
Commenting on the Doha talks, which took place on the same day as the canceled Luanda dialogue, the Angolan government declared that while all efforts to end the offensive are welcome, “African problems should be resolved by Africans.”
On Monday, President Lourenco also said his mediation efforts failed due to a “combination of factors, including some external elements unrelated to the ongoing African process.”
“Necessary steps will be taken in the coming days to identify the country whose head of state… will take on the mediation of the conflict between the DRC and Rwanda,” he stated.
Angola’s decision comes at a time when the rebels have intensified their offensive, seizing another town in the DR Congo’s troubled east. The mineral-rich mining town of Walikale, home to approximately 15,000 people, fell last Wednesday after intense fighting between M23 forces and the Congolese army, along with allied militias. The militants had earlier captured key cities, including Goma and Bukavu.
