Luanda: Angolan President and Chairperson of the African Union, Joao Louren§o, held a working meeting on Sunday in Luanda with his counterpart from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), F©lix Tshisekedi, to analyze the security situation prevailing in the east of that country.
According to Angola Press News Agency, the meeting took place at the Presidential Palace, with the two statesmen meeting for around an hour and a half, in an atmosphere of diplomatic consultation. Their focus was on the evolution of the armed conflict and the regional and international efforts to pacify the region.
The current moment in the east of the DRC is 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. This agreement was sponsored by the United States President, Donald Trump, and was under the supervision of other international leaders, including Joao Louren§o.
The agreement, known as the Washington Accords-2025, was signed by Presidents F©lix Tshisekedi and Paul Kagame. Its aim is to end the bilateral conflict, ensure the withdrawal of Rwandan troops from Congolese territory, and cease support for hostile armed militias between the parties.
The initialed document, however, did not include the M23 rebel movement, one of the main armed actors in eastern DRC. On the ground, the situation remains unstable, with M23 forces advancing in several areas, which has resulted in the capture of strategic cities, including Uvira, in South Kivu province.
There are reports of intense fighting, the presence of rebels in urban areas, and mass displacements of the civilian population, which are worsening the humanitarian crisis. At the international level, the United States expressed concern on Saturday about alleged violations of the Washington agreement by Rwanda.
US officials, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who have been following the Great Lakes dossier, have publicly stated that the actions attributed to Kigali (Rwanda) in eastern DRC are incompatible with the commitments made in the peace pact. 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.
