DRC weighs attending Angola-hosted talks with M23, sources say

The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is considering sending representatives to peace talks that Angola plans to host next week which would mark its first direct negotiations with the Rwanda-backed M23 rebel group, two government sources told Reuters on Thursday.

The news came as the Southern African Development Community (Sadc) said a summit of regional heads of state had terminated the mandate of its troop deployment in DRC, known as SAMIDRC, and decided on a phased withdrawal.

Angola has been trying to mediate a lasting ceasefire and reduce tensions between Congo and neighbouring Rwanda, which has been accused of backing the Tutsi-led M23 rebels. Rwanda denies those allegations.

On Wednesday Angola's presidency announced direct talks between DRC and M23 would begin in Luanda on March 18.

President Felix Tshisekedi has until now rejected direct talks with M23 and the government has not officially confirmed its participation. But the two government sources told Reuters on Thursday that the latest Angolan proposal was being seriously considered.

"This is a process that is beginning. Kinshasa wants it to be short but it could be long, and it will be up to the head of state to decide on the people who will represent the government side," one of the sources said.

"Even if there is direct contact with M23, this will not exclude Kigali's responsibility," another source said.

The announced withdrawal of the Sadc deployment, which was helping DRC's government fight rebel groups, is a potential further blow to Tshisekedi who has faced criticism of his handling of M23's latest advance.

Rwanda's foreign minister Olivier Nduhungirehe told Reuters on Thursday the withdrawal was "a good decision that will contribute to peace" in east DRC.

Sadc deployed its mission in DRC, a major producer of metals like cobalt and copper, in December 2023 with a one-year mandate that was renewed last year.

But a document seen by Reuters in February said the status of the bloc's mission to Congo needed to be discussed with parties to the conflict.

The M23 rebels have seized east DRC's two biggest cities since January in an escalation of a long-running conflict rooted in the spillover into DRC of Rwanda's 1994 genocide and the struggle for control of DRC's vast mineral resources.