These sessions have been held since Friday the 16th and continue this Saturday the 17th of February 2024 in Addis Ababa, the Ethiopian capital. Out of the 10 expected heads of state, 6 have been present, including Joao Lourenço, the initiator and mediator in this conflict between the DRC and Rwanda. Also present at these sessions are William Ruto from Kenya, Paul Kagame from Rwanda, and Cyril Ramaphosa from South Africa. The other countries have been represented.

In his opening remarks, the Angolan president, designated mediator to rekindle the dialogue between the DRC and its aggressor Rwanda, indicated that this initiative is taken to restart the peace process which has seen a setback with the intensification of fighting and the disastrous humanitarian and economic consequences for the Congolese population, according to a dispatch from the Congolese Presidency.

“The goal of this summit is to think together in order to obtain a ceasefire between the DRC and the M23 and to attempt a direct dialogue between the heads of state of Rwanda and the DRC because the situation is deteriorating and there is a risk of ignition in the sub-regions of the EAC and the SADC,” declared the Angolan president.

At the start of this meeting, the two heads of state seated at the ends of the room did not greet each other and the protocol had not planned for a family photo, according to the same source.

Dido Nsapu