On Saturday, October 12, Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) made a key breakthrough in peace negotiations during a ministerial meeting held in Luanda, Angola.
The two countries, which have been involved in ongoing talks under the Luanda Process, agreed for the first time on a technical framework to be developed by experts aimed at resolving security issues in eastern DRC.
Rwanda’s top diplomat, Olivier Nduhungirehe, who participated in the meeting, earlier expressed optimism about the progress, stating that “the Luanda Process is still on track.”
Under Angola’s facilitation, both parties committed to convening a meeting of experts on October 30 to work on a detailed concept of operations.
This step forward comes amid longstanding tensions between Rwanda and the DRC, with both nations accusing each other of supporting rebel groups in the troubled eastern DRC. The new agreement is seen as a move towards more structured cooperation, raising hopes for improved security in the region. “We are advancing,” a source told Taarifa.
The Luanda Process continues to be an important diplomatic effort in addressing the instability in eastern Congo, which has affected millions of civilians and drawn concern from the international community.
