Africa-Press – Angola. The President of the Democratic Republic of Congo, Félix Tshisekedi, considered “very useful” the meeting held on Monday, in Luanda, with his Angolan counterpart, João Lourenço, in which initiatives to reinforce peace and security efforts in the east of the DRC, the scene of a persistent armed conflict, were discussed.
Speaking to the Angolan journalists, at the end of a private working meeting in the Angolan capital, Tshisekedi recognized the role of João Lourenço as President of Angola and Chairperson of the African Union, highlighting that he has led “several initiatives” with a view to pacifying his country.
“President João Lourenço, as a man of initiatives, presented me with some proposals that I consider very interesting and that I hope will allow us to advance in the peace plan in the Democratic Republic of Congo”, the Congolese statesman said, adding that, for now, he prefers not to disclose the details of the proposals.
According to Félix Tshisekedi, the meeting focused mainly on the security situation in Eastern DRC, where the war “continues” and was not “imposed” by its government.
Still, he stressed that there are contacts and efforts underway to find political and diplomatic solutions to the conflict.
The Congolese President clarified that the initiatives presented by João Lourenço do not depart from existing processes, namely those in Washington and Doha, but rather aim to “strengthen” and complement the paths already opened for peace.
“We discussed ways to get out of this problem. Although we face a difficult situation, there are proposals and solutions to be worked on”, concluded Félix Tshisekedi, thanking the Angolan Head of State for his commitment and reiterating his confidence in regional and continental efforts to stabilize the DRC.
The meeting, which took place at the Presidential Palace, lasted approximately one and a half hours, in an atmosphere of diplomatic consultation.
The two Heads of State, who have held regular meetings, analyzed the evolution of the armed conflict in Eastern DRC, as well as ongoing regional and international efforts to pacify the region.
During the meeting, João Lourenço and Félix Tshisekedi addressed the current context marked by the persistence of violence, despite the recent signing, in Washington (United States of America), of a peace agreement between the DRC and Rwanda.
The understanding was sponsored by the North American President, Donald Trump, with the supervision of several international leaders, including the Angolan Head of State, João Lourenço.
The agreement, known as the Washington-2025 Accords, was signed in December last year by Presidents Félix Tshisekedi and Paul Kagame, with the aim of putting an end to the bilateral conflict, guaranteeing the withdrawal of Rwandan troops from Congolese territory and ceasing support for hostile armed militias between the parties.
However, the signing of the document does not include the M23 rebel movement, one of the main armed actors in Eastern DRC.
On the ground, the situation remains unstable. M23 forces continue to advance in several areas and have recently captured strategic cities, including Uvira, in the province of South Kivu. There are clashes, the presence of rebels in urban areas and massive displacements of the civilian population, worsening the humanitarian crisis.
Despite ongoing diplomatic initiatives, peace agreements have so far had limited impact on the immediate reduction of violence in the region.
At the international level, the United States has already expressed concern about alleged violations of the Washington Agreement by Rwanda.
North American officials, including Senator Marco Rubio, stated that actions attributed to Kigali in Eastern DRC are incompatible with the commitments made.
Washington warned that it will not remain indifferent to possible non-compliance and signaled the possibility of additional diplomatic measures if signs of support for armed groups operating in Congolese territory persist.
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