Congolese President Félix Tshisekedi was received this Monday, February 6 in Luanda by his Angolan counterpart João Lourenço. The two men discussed the persistent tensions between Kinshasa and Kigali and the M23 offensives in eastern DRC.
With our correspondent in Kinshasa, Patient Ligodi
No final press release, no interview or press conference. The tete-a-tete lasted about two hours. Nothing filtered from the interview, exactly like the day before during the meeting in Oyo, in Congo-Brazzaville, between the presidents of the two Congos.
The sources of the Angolan presidency just specify that the meeting of this Monday was planned before the Bujumbura summit held last Saturday. It was made on the initiative of President João Lourenço who wishes to relaunch the delicate peace process between Kinshasa and Kigali.
In this regard, the European and American partners insist on maintaining a framework for dialogue between Paul Kagame and Felix Tshisekedi. They are particularly counting on the influence of the Angolan president in the region and the relations he maintains with his Congolese and Rwandan counterparts. This is also the meaning of the visit last week by the head of Belgian diplomacy to Luanda and Kinshasa.
Reactivating the roadmap with the timetable for the withdrawal of the M23 established last November, still in Luanda, is not easy, but the Angolan authorities are optimistic. ” We have experienced 27 years of war here. A blockage in a process has never discouraged us “, an Angolan official told RFI.