Wed Mar 12 21:29:13 UTC 2025: ## Congo and M23 Rebels to Hold Peace Talks in Angola
**Luanda, Angola** – Direct peace negotiations between the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) government and the M23 rebel group will commence in Luanda on March 18th, Angolan President João Lourenço announced Wednesday. The talks, mediated by Angola, follow escalating conflict in eastern DRC that has claimed at least 7,000 lives since January and forced nearly 80,000 people to flee their homes, according to the UN.
The DRC government confirmed it received an invitation from Angola to participate in the talks, though initially remained non-committal. M23 leader Bertrand Bisimwa, however, claimed the rebels had forced the DRC to the negotiating table. The conflict, rooted in the aftermath of Rwanda’s 1994 genocide and the competition for control of the DRC’s rich mineral resources, has seen M23 seize strategic cities, including Goma and Bukavu. Rwanda denies supporting the M23, despite accusations to the contrary.
The ongoing violence has raised concerns about a potential regional conflict, with several neighboring countries already having troops deployed in eastern Congo. The situation echoes the devastating Congo Wars of the 1990s and early 2000s, which resulted in millions of deaths. The talks in Luanda represent a significant step towards resolving the crisis, though the success of these negotiations remains uncertain.
First Piper 