Congo’s president says peace talks with Rwanda in Angola have been canceled

GOMA, Congo (AP) — Planned face-to-face peace talks between Congo and Rwanda have been unexpectedly canceled, the Congolese president said.

Congo’s President Felix Tshisekedi and Rwanda’s President Paul Kagame were set to meet Sunday in Angola, which has been mediating the conflict to put an end to a decades long conflict in eastern Congo between the Congolese army and M23 rebel group, which is allegedly backed by Rwanda.

The Congolese presidency said in a post on the X social media platform that the cancellation was caused by the refusal of the Rwandan delegation to take part in the meeting. On Saturday, Rwanda had made the signing of a peace agreement conditional on the organization of a direct dialogue between Congo and the M23 rebels, which Congo refused, the presidency added.

Rwanda’s government has not commented on the cancellation.

M23 is one of about 100 armed groups that have been vying for a foothold in mineral-rich eastern Congo near the border with Rwanda, in a conflict that has created one of the world’s largest humanitarian crises. More than 7 million people have been displaced.

Congo and the United Nations accuse Rwanda of backing M23. Rwanda denies the claim, but in February admitted that it has troops and missile systems in eastern Congo to safeguard its security, pointing to a buildup of Congolese forces near the border. U.N. experts estimate there are up to 4,000 Rwandan forces in Congo.

The foreign ministers of Congo and Rwanda last month agreed on the terms and conditions of the disengagement of Rwandan forces in eastern Congo.

In July, Congo signed a ceasefire with Rwanda that came into effect in August, but fighting has since resumed. The United States said in November it was “gravely concerned” by ceasefire violations by M23 rebels.

On Friday, Congo’s army accused M23 of killing 12 civilians in several villages in eastern Congo. An M23 spokesperson told The Associated Press it denied the accusation, discrediting it as “propaganda” from Congo’s government.