Muthomi Ireri
On Tuesday, Angola announced a ceasefire agreement between the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Rwanda. The agreement emerged from a meeting between the foreign ministers of Rwanda and the DRC, hosted by Angolan President Joao Lourenco at the presidential palace in Luanda.
Kinshasa has accused Kigali of supporting M23 rebels who are fighting the army in the eastern North Kivu province, an accusation that Rwanda denies. A UN Security Council report found that 3,000 to 4,000 Rwandan soldiers have been fighting alongside the M23 rebels, and that Kigali had “de facto control” over the group’s operations.
The ceasefire is set to take effect from midnight on August 4, coinciding with the expiration of a partially respected humanitarian truce between the M23 and government forces. However, it is still unclear which parties have committed to laying down their arms.
Eastern DRC, rich in minerals, has been plagued by conflict for about 30 years, involving both local and foreign armed groups, including the M23 rebels. The United Nations reports that more than 1.7 million people have been displaced by the fighting in North Kivu, bringing the total number of displaced people in the country to over 7 million due to various conflicts.
Dj Vnyash
Silverio Omari
