Angola announced on Wednesday, March 12, 2025, that the government of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and the M23 rebel group will hold direct peace talks on March 18.
A statement from Angolan President João Lourenço’s office confirmed that the negotiations would take place in the capital, Luanda.
Angola has played a key role as a mediator in the ongoing conflict in eastern DRC, which escalated in late January following a rapid offensive by the Rwanda-backed M23 rebels. The group seized control of Goma, a strategic city in eastern DRC, and later took Bukavu, the region’s second-largest city, last month.
President Felix Tshisekedi of the DRC has previously refused to engage in direct talks with M23.
The announcement follows several failed peace talks hosted by Angola that excluded M23 and instead focused on Rwanda, which has been accused of backing the Tutsi-led rebel group. Kigali has consistently denied supporting M23, but United Nations experts estimate that the group has received assistance from approximately 4,000 Rwandan troops.
M23 is one of nearly 100 armed groups fighting for control in the mineral-rich eastern DRC.
The ongoing conflict has created one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises, displacing more than seven million people.
