Angola says DRC peace talks cancelled due to unforeseen circumstances

 

Angola said talks due to be held in the capital Luanda Tuesday aimed at ending fighting in DR Congo's volatile east could not be held due to unforeseen circumstances -- a possible reference to the last-minute decision by the Rwanda-backed M23 group to stay away.

Angolan President Joao Lourenco has been appointed by the African Union to mediate in the conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo, where the M23 has captured the two main cities of the east in a lightning campaign.

Angola's foreign ministry said in a statement "that due to reasons and circumstances of force majeure... the scheduled meeting between the Government of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and the Movement March 23 (M23)," could not be held.

It said Angola would "undertake all efforts to ensure that the meeting is held, while reaffirming that the dialogue is the sole solution for a sustainable peace" in DRC's east.

M23 said late Monday it would not attend Tuesday's peace talks with the DR Congo government in Luanda following European Union sanctions on some of its top brass.

"The successive sanctions imposed on our members, including those adopted on the eve of the discussions in Luanda, seriously compromise direct dialogue and prevent any advance," it said.

The group also denounced Kinshasa's "bellicose campaign" and added that "under these conditions, the holding of talks has become impossible. As a result, our organisation will not be able to take part in the discussions".

The European Union on Monday sanctioned three Rwandan military commanders and its mining agency chief over their support for armed fighters in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo as well as senior members of the M23, including its head, Bertrand Bisimwa.

Since January, the M23 -- which claims to defend the interests of Congolese Tutsis -- has seized the key cities of Goma and Bukavu in a lightning advance that has killed more than 7,000 people, according to the DRC.

AFP has not been able to verify the figure independently.

A report by United Nations experts has said Kigali effectively controls the M23 and has around 4,000 troops backing it in order to exploit the region's valuable minerals such as gold and coltan.

Rwanda denies providing the M23 with military assistance but says it faces a threat in the DRC's east from the FDLR group, founded by ethnic Hutu leaders involved in the 1994 Rwandan genocide of the Tutsis.

The last time the Congolese government and the M23 held talks was in 2013.