Angola’s Minister of External Relations, António Téte met with Rwandan President Paul Kagame on Monday afternoon to discuss regional security after M23 rebels seized control of several strategic towns in eastern DR Congo.
The statement issued by the President’s Office in Kigali said that the top Angolan diplomate was in Rwanda with a message from President João Lourenço of Angola, who is currently serving as Chairperson of the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region.
The visit comes after President Macky Sall of Senegal in his capacity as the chairman of the African Union and Moussa Farki Mohamat who heads the African Union Commission expressed full support to the Luanda roadmap aimed at normalizing relations between DRC and Rwanda.
Rwanda and DR Congo have been at diplomatic loggerheads since the M23 rebel group resumed fighting against Congolese troops in the east of the country, near the Rwandan border.
The visit comes two days after the Kinshasa government expelled from Kinshasa Rwanda’s envoy Vincent Karega, a decision they said was largely based on ‘evidence’ that Rwanda continues to back the M23 rebellion.
Rwanda has since dismissed the claims, saying that it is regrettable to expel its envoy in DR Congo which continues to scapegoat Kigali to ”cover up and distract from their own governance and security failures.”
Various reports are suggesting that the M23 have gained control of more territory in DRC’s restive east.
CU/as/APA