Luanda - Angolan President João Lourenço on Wednesday deplored the occupation of the city of Goma, capital of North Kivu province, in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), by the M23 movement and demanded its immediate withdrawal from the illegally occupied territories.
A press release from the Presidency of the Republic sent Wednesday to ANGOP, recalls that João Lourenço was appointed by the African Union (AU) to mediate the political-diplomatic and security crisis between the DRC and neighboring Rwanda.
The note points out that the action of the M23 (March 23 Movement) represents a serious violation of the Luanda Process, which restarted after separate bilateral meetings with Presidents Félix Tshisekedi and Paul Kagame, in February and March 2024, respectively.
It emphasizes that, in these meetings, both statesmen agreed to prioritize the ceasefire, the neutralization of the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR) and the disengagement of forces/lifting of the security measures adopted by Rwanda, that is, the withdrawal of the Rwandan Defense Forces (RDF) from the territory of the DRC.
The Angolan statesman therefore calls for the immediate withdrawal of the Rwanda Defence Forces from Congolese territory 'so that the conditions for the stabilisation of the lives of the populations are urgently created, including the normalisation of the operation of the airport in the city of Goma in safe conditions'.
The stabilization of the situation will facilitate the safe return of members of the Enhanced Extended Verification Mechanism (MVAR) and the Extended Verification Mechanism of the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region (ICGLR), the note clarifies.
The document also indicates that the normalization of life in Goma will also allow the entry of humanitarian aid in favor of displaced and refugee populations.
It stresses that discussions on the issue of the M23 and all other armed groups operating on the territory of the DRC must be resumed as a matter of urgency in the framework of the Nairobi Process.
It urges that DRC and Rwanda must respect the commitments made under the Luanda Process, allowing the necessary conditions to be created for the convening of a tripartite summit in Luanda, as a matter of urgency, on a date to be communicated in due course.
After an arduous negotiation process at the level of the respective foreign ministers supported by the heads of the Intelligence Services of the three countries, the statement emphasizes, it was possible to decree the ceasefire, which came into force on August 4, 2024.
It maintains that the DRC and Rwanda have undertaken to neutralise the FDLR and disengage the forces by lifting the security measures put in place by the latter, through the adoption of the Concept of Operations (CONOPs) and the Strengthening of the Ad'hoc Verification Mechanism with liaison officers from the two States.
In accordance with the draft Peace Agreement submitted to the parties in August 2024, the issue regarding the M23, always presented by Rwanda as being internal to the DRC, should be dealt with within the framework of the Nairobi Process, a platform for the promotion of inter-Congolese dialogue, the note clarifies.
In this context, it recalls that, on December 15, 2024, in Luanda, Uhuru Kenyatta, former President of Kenya and facilitator designated by the East African Community (EAC), committed to accelerating consultations with the M23 with immediate effect. DC/DOJ
