On Tuesday, 31 July, 2024, Angola announced a ceasefire agreement between the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Rwanda. This development follows a meeting hosted by Angolan President João Lourenço at the presidential palace in Luanda, which included the foreign ministers of both countries.
The agreement comes amid long-standing accusations by Kinshasa that Kigali supports M23 rebels engaged in conflict with the Congolese army in North Kivu province—a claim that Rwanda has consistently denied. A recent UN Security Council report indicated that between 3,000 to 4,000 Rwandan soldiers have been operating alongside M23 and that Kigali effectively controls the group’s activities.
The ceasefire is set to take effect at midnight on August 4, coinciding with the expiration of a partially observed humanitarian truce between the M23 and government forces. However, the specific parties involved in the ceasefire have yet to be clarified.
The eastern region of the DRC, rich in minerals, has endured approximately 30 years of conflict involving various local and foreign armed groups, including the M23 rebels. According to the United Nations, more than 1.7 million people have been displaced due to the violence in North Kivu, contributing to a total of over 7 million displaced individuals across the country due to multiple conflicts.
