Rwanda-backed M23 welcomes direct talks with DR Congo govt
A M23 soldier stands in the Masisi territory on 5 March 2025. Ravaged by conflict for 30 years, eastern DRC is believed to hold between 60% and 80% of the world's reserves of coltan, an essential mineral for manufacturing electronic equipment. Picture: Camille Laffont / AFP
KINSHASA, DR CONGO - The Rwanda-backed M23 armed group on Thursday said it "welcomed" the prospect of negotiations with the Congolese government to end the conflict in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.
The M23 is locked in fighting with the Congolese army in the restive eastern DRC, for decades plagued by conflict and ethnic violence.
Since its 2021 resurgence, the militia has seized swathes of the DRC's mineral-rich land with Rwanda's backing.
On Tuesday, Angola said it would host talks in a bid to halt the violence, later giving a date of 18 March for the beginning of negotiations.
In a statement on Thursday, the M23 said it "welcomed favourably" the announcement of the talks, to be held in the Angolan capital Luanda.
The armed group, however, raised several "concerns", urging Congolese President Felix Tshisekedi to "publicly and unequivocally express his commitment to direct negotiations" as an "absolute necessity".
Tshisekedi had previously refused to engage in direct dialogue with the M23, which he has repeatedly branded a "terrorist" group.
But Angolan President Joao Lourenco on Tuesday said "direct negotiations" between the two sides would take place, after receiving Tshisekedi for discussions.
Since the beginning of 2025 the M23 have had the Congolese army on the back foot following a lightning advance.
The offensive has killed more than 7,000 people, according to the DRC. AFP has not been able to verify that figure independently.
Rwanda denies providing the M23 with military support.
But a UN experts' report found Kigali maintains some 4,000 troops in the DRC's east to assist the armed group.