Luanda - The Angolan Head of State, João Lourenço and the President of Rwanda, Paul Kagame, on Friday in Kigali, highlighted the Luanda Roadmap as the way towards the pacification of the eastern side of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
For over an hour, the Angolan statesman, as mediator, presented to his Rwandan counterpart proposals for ending the tension between both countries and the military activity in the east of the DRC.
The Luanda roadmap recommends reactivating the Rwanda/Angola Joint Commission, after an extended standstill.
The dismantling of the "negative forces", including the M23 military movement and Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR), which allegedly would be at the root of the tension between the two sides, is also part of the Luanda Roadmap package.
The Luanda roadmap also proposes a clampdown on anti-Rwandan hate speech in the DRC, which has become alarming since the resumption of rhetoric of Rwandan support for the Congolese rebellion.
According to the Angolan Foreign minister, Téte António, who was speaking to the press at the end of the meeting between both presidents, the common denominator is the need to implement the Luanda Roadmap for pacification, through dialogue, in the Great Lakes Region.
“With this meeting, President João Lourenço is seeking a peaceful solution, through dialogue, to end the tension in the east of the (Democratic) Republic of Congo, characterised by fighting actions on the ground and tensions between the two countries. As mediator, he is seeking to listen to both parties in order to reach a peaceful understanding”, said Téte António.
According to Téte António, João Lourenço and Paul Kagame agree on the idea that the most logical thing is to implement the Luanda Roadmap as the most viable way of ending the crisis.
After visiting Rwanda, João Lourenço will travel to Kinshasa, capital of the DRC, for a meeting with President Felix Tshisekedi.
Angola is chairing the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region (ICGLR), a regional block comprising the Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda.
In his capacity as ICGLR chairman, the Angolan Head of State, João Lourenço, was mandated by the African Union to mediate the conflict and he has multiplied initiatives to reach peace.
The rising tension between neighbouring DRC and Rwanda, countries of the Great Lakes, led the President of the Democratic Republic of Congo to travel to Angola in June.
The crisis between the DRC and Rwanda has escalated in recent months after fighting resumed last March between the DRC army and the M23 movement, which according to the Kinshasa authorities is supported by the neighbouring country.
