Angolan President Stresses that War Will Not Solve Problems in DRC

The President of Angola, who is currently the mediator between Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo in the Luanda talks, João Lourenço, stressed that war is not the solution to the problems in eastern DRC.

This is a message he gave on January 24, 2025, referring to the fighting that has been taking place in North Kivu Province for days, especially in the city of Sake and in South Kivu Province.

The Head of State called on the parties to the fighting to respect human rights, protect civilians, and protect the soldiers of the reformed joint peacekeeping force.

In December 2024, Rwanda and the DRC suspended the Luanda talks after failing to reach an agreement on the M23’s request to talk to the DRC government to jointly seek a lasting peace.

Rwanda has been calling on the DRC government to hold direct talks with the M23, but the DRC has rejected this, stating that its preferred option is to continue the war against the group that controls large parts of North and South Kivu.

President Lourenço said that a military solution cannot solve the insecurity problems in eastern DRC, and called for the parties involved in the Luanda talks to resume talks.

His office said that “João Manuel Gonçalves Lourenço stressed that the conflicts and security problems in eastern DRC will not be resolved by a military solution, and therefore called on each party to return to the negotiating table immediately.”

Since January 23, 2025, M23 fighters have controlled the town of Sake, located just over 20 kilometers from Goma. This is at a time when the DRC government has indicated that talking to them is a red line.