Tshisekedi, Kagame meeting in Qatar ‘surprises’ Angola

The Angolan government on Thursday expressed ‘surprise’ at the meeting between the President of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Félix Tshisekedi, and his Rwandan counterpart, Paul Kagame, in Doha, Qatar, which it said was not on the agenda of the DRC peace mediator.

According to the country’s foreign minister, the meeting took place ‘on the very day’ that the DRC sent a delegation to Luanda for negotiations with M23 rebels.

But just hours before the talks were due to start, the Rwandan-backed rebels pulled out.

Angola later cited force majeure as the reason the negotiations failed to take place.

It added that the government of Angola, as mediator, continues to make every effort to ensure that this meeting takes place at an opportune moment, reaffirming that dialogue is the only lasting solution for peace in the east of the DRC.

“All efforts to resolve conflicts are welcome, but African problems should be resolved by Africans,” Foreign Minister Téte António told a press conference in Luanda.

He added that President João Lourenço, who also chairs the African Union, was surprised by Qatar’s initiative to bring Tshisekedi and Kagame to Doha.

The two leaders met for the first time this year at the Doha meeting, where they pledged to adhere to the roadmap of the East African Community and the Southern African Development Community, whose joint summit had called for a ceasefire and dialogue facilitated by a panel of envoys.

But, they also agreed to continue discussing long-term peace within the framework of the Doha agreement.