Congo and M23 rebel group will hold peace talks on Tuesday, mediator Angola says | AP News
Angola is hosting peace talks between the government of the Congo and the Rwanda-backed M23 rebel group on March 18th. Angola has been a mediator throughout the conflict since the rebels took over Goma, the second biggest city in Congo. All previous peace talks have not included M23 in the conversation and instead focused on its backers, however, this talk is different because there will be direct communication between the Congo and the rebels. There are about 100 armed groups, including M23, that wish to gain access to the minerals within eastern Congo, and their conflicts have created one of the most significant humanitarian crises.
This is significant because the direct talks are a shift in strategy and could lead to the de-escalation of the conflict and, ultimately, peace. Eastern Congo has a surplus of resources that are used in many industries, and the control over these resources is what has led to this conflict of interests. If this conflict continues, it could create more tensions within the region, as M23 is backed by Rwanda. The stress between the two countries could lead to a larger conflict or war, so with the help of Angola to guide peace talks, these tensions could lessen and put the region at ease. Aside from that, this is one of the worst humanitarian crises, with over 7 million people displaced, and there is an obvious demand for regional or international help.
Congo’s government can use the talks to address the roots of the problems between them and the M23 and find ways to accommodate their goals peacefully. M23 can negotiate to a possible ceasefire and work to disarm, demobilize, and reintegrate their rebels back into society. Rwanda can stop all support to the M23 rebel group and instead work to ease tensions and rebuild trust with Congo. As a mediator, Angola can create a neutral environment so that each side is comfortable to claim accountability and reach a peace agreement.
M23 is a paramilitary rebel group within the Democratic Republic of the Congo whose main goal is to gain security and protect the Tutsis group. M23 is state-sponsored, meaning they receive military, financial, and intelligence support from another state, which in this case is Rwanda. This is mainly a conflict of ideas, as M23 believes that the Tutsis are underrepresented in the eastern region of the Congo and want ethnic unity. The DRC sees M23 as a rebel group that threatens its sovereignty.