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Angola Announces DR Congo-Rwanda Ceasefire Deal amid Catholic Bishops’ Concern about Violence in the East

The deal follows a meeting between the foreign ministers of Rwanda and DRC hosted by Angolan President Joao Lourenco at the presidential palace in the capital, Luanda. Credit: Presidency of Angola
Jude Atemanke

By Jude Atemanke

Kinshasa, 31 July, 2024 / 10:48 pm (ACI Africa).

A ceasefire deal has been reached between the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Rwanda, Angola’s Presidency, which has been mediating the talks, has announced.

In a Tuesday, July 30 statement that signals a significant milestone in the diplomatic efforts to end violent conflicts in Eastern regions of the Central African nation, Angola indicates that the ceasefire reached on July 30 is to take effect from August 4. 

The deal follows a meeting between the foreign ministers of Rwanda and DRC that the Angolan President, João Lourenco, hosted at the presidential palace in the country’s capital city, Luanda.

The July 30 statement is silent about the parties involved in the ceasefire agreement and the duration.

DRC government has long accused Rwanda of backing March 23 Movement (M23) rebels fighting its army in North Kivu Province,  an accusation Rwanda denies.

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Earlier, in July, a two-week humanitarian truce took place amid fierce fighting between Congolese government troops and rebels from the M23 group.

Violence in Eastern DRC has created a severe humanitarian crisis with more than 5.5 million people displaced from their homes, reportedly the third-highest number of internally displaced people in the world.

A February 14 United Nations report indicates that civilians in Eastern DRC “are bearing the brunt of localized violence, amid a sharp uptick in fighting between Government forces and the M23 armed group.”

More than 120 armed groups are fighting for control of the Eastern DRC, a region rich with natural resources.

Catholic Bishops in the country have continually expressed concern about the violent conflicts in the region. In his July 28 homily, Bishop Melchisedec Sikuli Paluku of DRC’s Catholic Diocese of Butembo-Beni appealed for concerted efforts to restore peace in Eastern DRC.

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For Bishop Paluku, “everyone must sow the seeds of peace within and around them, for the well-being of all Congolese.”

“It's important to know that all parts of the Democratic Republic of Congo need peace. Not only in the town of Butembo,” the Congolese Catholic Bishop said during Holy Mass at St. Clare of Assisi Ngengere Parish of his Episcopal See.

He added, “We all want peace without discrimination.”

Earlier, in May, members of the National Episcopal Conference of Congo (CENCO) called on M23 rebels to “ “lay down their arms, as Congolese cannot claim to be saving the Congo by killing Congolese.”

They also called on Rwanda to “stop supporting the rebellion.”

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In April, Catholic Bishops of the Ecclesiastical Province of Bukavu in the country decried insecurity in their Episcopal Sees.

“Insecurity has become endemic, with its trail of killings even in the middle of the day, massacres and kidnappings of peaceful citizens in our towns and villages,” members of the Provincial Episcopal Assembly of Bukavu (ASSEPB) said in an April 14 statement.

They further decried “the opening up of most of our territorial entities; the M23's surrounding of the town of Goma supported by Rwanda; the strategy of paralysing the economy by isolating and suffocating large and small towns.”

The Catholic Church leaders challenged politicians to come to terms with the correct meaning of politics, prioritizing service to the people of God.

In February, CENCO members appealed to the people of God in the Central African nation to show their solidarity with the inhabitants of the Eastern part of the country through intensified prayers.

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Jude Atemanke

Jude Atemanke is a Cameroonian journalist with a passion for Catholic Church communication. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism and Mass Communication from the University of Buea in Cameroon. Currently, Jude serves as a journalist for ACI Africa.