Minister Nduhungirehe signs the minutes of the 5th Tripartite Summit in Luanda, Angola.
Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) have made key steps towards addressing the conflict that has affected relations between the two countries, following the conclusion of the fifth Tripartite Ministerial Meeting for Peace and Security in the eastern part of DRC, held in Luanda, Angola.
Rwanda’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, Amb. Olivier Nduhungirehe and DRC’s Thérèse Kayikwamba Wagner, signed the minutes of the summit which was facilitated by Angola’s Minister of External Relations, Amb. Téte António, as Angola continues to lead the ‘Luanda Process’, aimed at resolving the recurring conflict that has gripped the Eastern DRC for nearly three decades now.
Amb. Nduhungire expressed optimism on the progress of the October 12 talks, pointing out that the Luanda process, which has previously been affected by disagreements on certain clauses and the course of action, is still on track.
“Signing, this evening in Luanda, of the minutes of the fifth ministerial meeting on peace and security in eastern DRC,” Minister Nduhungirehe, posted on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, adding that “The Luanda Process is still on track.”
Amb. Nduhungirehe however could not divulge more details on what is contained in the minutes, which were not made public by Angola, but he told KT Press that “the process is moving well and experts were requested to meet before the end of the month.”
KT Press understands that the new step will be Angola to put together a concept of operations for the activities contained in the harmonized plan for the neutralization of the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR) as well as other actions by all sides to address the concerns raised by either side, before experts convene to review it on October 30 and endorse it for implementation.
The signing of the minutes is a positive step in the discussions.
It is the first time the tripartite has agreed on a technical framework to be developed by experts aimed at resolving security issues in eastern DRC, a development observers say could be a step closer to Rwanda and DRC agreeing on the issues that have caused long standing tensions between the two neighbours.
Relations between Rwanda and the DRC remain tense as both countries accuse each other of supporting rebel groups in the troubled eastern part of the vast nation. Previous meetings were affected by post-summit comments especially from DRC, which diverted from what is agreed upon in meetings.
Following the fourth tripartite summit on September 14, Minister Nduhungirehe accused DRC officials of dishonesty after sharing false versions of minutes from Luanda, which were not the signed copies, omitting the responsibilities on the side of Kinshasa.
The Luanda Process, which is backed by the African Union (AU) and the international community, is considered one of the most important diplomatic efforts to end the conflict in Eastern DRC, which has affected millions of civilians.
The Luanda process was restarted in mid-2022 to address the Rwanda-DR Congo diplomatic tensions which resulted from the war between the Congolese army and the M23 rebels, fighting for the rights of the Congolese Tutsi, who have grievances against the government in Kinshasa.
Amb. Tete facilitated the talks.
DRC’s Thérèse Kayikwamba Wagner signs.
