Planned face-to-face peace talks between Congo and Rwanda were abruptly cancelled, Congolese President Félix Tshisekedi declared, according to AP News.
Tshisekedi and his Rwandan counterpart Paul Kagame were due to meet on Sunday in mediating Angola to end the long-running conflict in eastern Congo between the Congolese army and the M23 rebel group allegedly backed by Rwanda.
Congo’s president said the Rwandan delegation refused to attend the meeting. On Saturday, Rwanda made the signing of a peace agreement dependent on direct dialogue between Congo and the M23 rebels, which was refused by Congo.
No consensus was reached between Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo on a commitment to direct talks with the Congolese rebel group M23. This summit would therefore not have resulted in an agreement.
M23 is an armed group fighting in the mineral-rich eastern Congo near the border with Rwanda. The conflict sparked one of the world’s biggest humanitarian crises, with more than 7 million people displaced from their homes.
The foreign ministers of Congo and Rwanda last month agreed terms for the withdrawal of Rwandan forces in eastern Congo. In July, Congo signed a ceasefire agreement with Rwanda that took effect in August. However, fighting has since resumed.
On Friday, the Congolese army accused the M23 movement of killing 12 civilians in several villages in the eastern part of the country. An M23 spokesman, for his part, denied the allegations, calling them “propaganda” by Congo’s government.
