The President of the Democratic Republic of Congo Felix Tshisekedi is considering a sit-down with Rwanda backed armed group M23.
Tshisekdi had previously ruled out dialogue with the group rampaging through the mineral rich eastern part of the country.
His consideration comes amidst a string of defeats, seizure of territories and regional pressure to begin talks with the groups.
Angola - in a surprise twist - had announced earlier in the week that it would host direct talks between Congo and M23 in its capital on March 18.
Despite not reacting publicly to the announcement, top officials in Tshisekedi’s government confirmed to Reuters that he was seriously considering sending a delegation to the proposed meeting.
"I haven't talked to a single African country that says Kinshasa shouldn't talk to M23," one senior diplomat said.
"The line of everyone is, 'How do you stop the fighting if you don't engage with them?'"
Another stated emphatically that Kinshasa would be attending but it was still unclear who would represent the government in Luanda next week.
Other sources said the debate was still ongoing and that a final decision was not likely to be made until next week.
M23, for its part, said on Thursday it was demanding an unequivocal commitment from Tshisekedi to engage in talks.
Southern and East African foreign and defence ministers are due to meet in Harare, Zimbabwe on Monday to discuss the push for a cessation of hostilities and political dialogue.
The fighting in eastern DRC has sparked a far reaching humanitarian crisis with over 7,000 people killed in January alone and 80,000 people displaced.
On 10 August, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy held a telephone conversation with President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev....
A bus and a truck collided in Brazil’s central-western state of Mato Grosso late Friday, leaving 11 people dead and 45 others injured, according to ...
Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy held a telephone conversation....
Armenia’s Deputy Foreign Minister Vahan Kostanyan has described the joint peace declaration signed with Azerbaijan in Washington as “historic” a...
Plastic waste leakage in Southeast Asia, plus China, Japan and South Korea, could rise by nearly 70% by 2050 without stronger policies, according to a...
On 10 August, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy held a telephone conversation with President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev.
A bus and a truck collided in Brazil’s central-western state of Mato Grosso late Friday, leaving 11 people dead and 45 others injured, according to the toll road operator and the federal highway police.
Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy held a telephone conversation.
Two wildfires in Türkiye’s northwestern Canakkale province destroyed dozens of homes and forced around 1,000 people to evacuate, officials said.
The world’s biggest dance music festival faces an unexpected setback as a fire destroys its main stage, prompting a last-minute response from organisers determined to keep the party alive in Boom, Belgium.
According to the German Research Centre for Geosciences (GFZ), a magnitude 5.7 earthquake struck the Oaxaca region of Mexico on Saturday.
China and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations will send an upgraded ‘version 3.0’ free-trade agreement to their heads of government for approval in October, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on Saturday after regional talks in Kuala Lumpur.
A resumption of Iraq’s Kurdish oil exports is not expected in the near term, sources familiar with the matter said on Friday, despite an announcement by Iraq’s federal government a day earlier stating that shipments would resume immediately.
Chinese automaker Chery has denied an industry-ministry audit that disqualified more than $53 million in state incentives for thousands of its electric and hybrid vehicles, insisting it followed official guidance and committed no fraud.
A bus and a truck collided in Brazil’s central-western state of Mato Grosso late Friday, leaving 11 people dead and 45 others injured, according to the toll road operator and the federal highway police.
Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy held a telephone conversation.
One person was killed and homes and an industrial site were damaged in an overnight Ukrainian drone attack on Russia’s Saratov region, the governor said. Moscow reported 121 drones downed nationwide and briefly halted flights in Saratov.
In a joint statement, the UK, France, Italy, Germany, Poland, Finland and the European Commission said Ukraine alone must decide its future. Their declaration came ahead of U.S. President Donald Trump’s meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska on Friday.
Two wildfires in Türkiye’s northwestern Canakkale province destroyed dozens of homes and forced around 1,000 people to evacuate, officials said.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment