Congo and Rwanda announce the cancellation of peace talks in Angola.

The highly anticipated meeting between the presidents of Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo, scheduled for Sunday, has been canceled, both countries announced, dashing hopes for a resolution to the M23 rebel conflict. This insurgency has displaced over 1.9 million people and further destabilized eastern Congo.

The meeting, planned to take place in Angola, was expected to bring the two Central African leaders together for rare face-to-face negotiations aimed at easing tensions. Talks had centered on resolving the nearly three-year M23 rebellion, which has strained relations between the neighbors.

Optimism that a peace agreement would be signed had raised hopes of ending the standoff. The conflict has heightened fears of a wider regional crisis reminiscent of the devastating wars between 1996 and 2003, which claimed millions of lives. However, Congo’s presidency announced that the tripartite meeting was canceled due to Rwanda’s refusal to participate.

According to Congo, Rwanda made its participation conditional on Congo holding direct talks with M23 rebels, a condition Congo rejected. Rwanda’s foreign ministry, in turn, stated that the lack of consensus made signing the agreement impossible and suggested postponing the meeting to allow Congo time to engage with the rebels.

The proposed peace plan required Rwanda to dismantle what it describes as its “defensive measures” in the conflict, while Congo was to address the threat posed by the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR), a Hutu rebel group responsible for attacks on Tutsis.

Congo, supported by the United Nations and others, accuses Rwanda of fueling the M23 rebellion in North Kivu by providing troops and weapons. Rwanda denies this, insisting its involvement has been limited to defensive measures. Instead, it accuses Congo of recruiting FDLR militants to bolster its forces.

U.N. experts estimate that between 3,000 and 4,000 Rwandan troops are in Congo, exercising “de facto control” over M23 operations. The international community has faced criticism for insufficient pressure on Rwanda to de-escalate. Jason Stearns, a Congo expert at Canada’s Simon Fraser University, highlighted the lack of meaningful international action, particularly as the United States, which has been the most vocal in pressuring Rwanda, is currently undergoing a political transition.