An agreement was reached to declare a ceasefire during a meeting between the presidents of Rwanda, Paul Kagami, and that of DR Congo, Felix Tshisekendi, after tensions escalated rapidly between Kigali and Kinshasa in the eastern part of the Congolese territory, announced Joao Lourenço, the head of state of Angola, who assumed the role of mediator.

“I have the pleasure to announce that we have secured positive results (…) to the extent that we have reached an agreement to declare a ceasefire, among other measures,” said President Lourenço after the end of the session held in the Angolan capital, Luanda. However, he did not give any further details.

Earlier, Kinshasa announced that the leaders of the two Great Famine countries had agreed to a “de-escalation process”, while a road map was drawn up that will theoretically lead to the normalization of diplomatic relations between Kinshasa and Kigali and provides for the immediate cessation of hostilities, as well as the immediate and unconditional withdrawal of M23 from its positions in DR Congo, the Congolese presidency clarified via Twitter.

According to APA MPA, the M23, or “March 23 Movement”, is a rebel organization dominated by members of the Tutsi tribe, whose reappearance late last year in the eastern part of DR Congo caused a resurgence of tensions between that country and neighboring Rwanda. Kinshasa accuses Kigali of supporting the rebels, which the Rwandan government officially denies.

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Rwanda’s state television confirmed the adoption of a road map for the de-escalation of hostilities. According to the information it conveyed, it was agreed that the issue of M23’s action would be dealt with at the national level within the framework of the Nairobi process, which involves armed organizations operating in DR Congo. This process was initiated by President Tshisekedi with the facilitation of Kenya to achieve peace.

Paul Kagami and Felix Tshisekendi met yesterday in Luanda, where they were hosted by Joao Lourenço, the mediator appointed by the African Union, in order to restore trust between the two neighboring countries, the presidency of DR Congo recalled.

The road map discussed after the meeting will be based on the resumption of meetings of the DR Congo-Rwanda joint commission that had stopped meeting for years, the Congolese presidency continued. According to the same source, the commission will hold its first meeting on July 12 in Luanda.

According to Kinshasa, the road map clarifies that any exploitation of natural resources – a critical issue in the eastern part of DR Congo, an area with very rich subsoil – should be done with strict respect for the national sovereignty of states.

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