Kinshasa — Angola has ended its mediation in the war in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo. The Angolan Presidency announced this in a communiqué today, March 24: "Angola considers it necessary to absolve itself of the responsibility of mediating in this conflict" in order to dedicate itself "more" to the general priorities of the African Union (AU), according to the statement from the Presidency, referring to the role of Angolan President Joao Lourenco as acting President of the African Union.
"In the coming days, another African Head of State will be entrusted with this task," the statement reads. In the meantime, the mediation initiated by Qatar will continue (see Fides, 20/3/2025). In a statement released today, the country's foreign minister welcomed "the declarations by the Democratic Republic of Congo and the Republic of Rwanda of their commitment to de-escalation and reducing tensions in eastern Congo following the announcement of the M23 withdrawal from the Walikale area," which he described as "an important step towards stability and peace in the region."
The town of Walikale, in the Congolese province of North Kivu, was captured by M23 militants on March 19 (see Fides, March 20, 2025). Despite rebel claims, local sources say the M23 is still present in the town. According to some sources, however, the M23 has stated that it delayed its withdrawal from Walikale because the Congolese army (FARDC) had not withdrawn its combat drones from the area. Control of Walikale is of strategic importance because it would enable the M23 and its supporting Rwandan units to capture Kisangani, the capital of Tshopo Province, a key trade and transit hub located at the confluence of three rivers on the road to Kinshasa, the Congolese capital.
In this context, statements by the Chief of Staff of the Ugandan Army, Muhoozi Kainerugaba, son of President Yoweri Museveni, published on Platform X, are also contradictory. Kainerugaba stated that his army or the M23 rebels would invade Kisangani at any time on the orders of President Yoweri Museveni. He allegedly wanted to protect the people of the Democratic Republic of Congo and emphasized that he would not allow residents of Ugandan origin from the Alur, Bahema, Banande, and Batutsi ethnic groups to suffer and that he had the right to protect them. Kainerugaba also advised US President Donald Trump not to conclude any mining agreement in East Africa without Uganda and Rwanda. He was referring to the meeting between Congolese President Felix Tshisekedi and Republican US Congressman Ronny Jackson, which discussed the fighting in the east of the country and opportunities for US investment in the Congolese mining sector. In return for US support in the fight against the M23 rebels, Tshisekedi would be willing to grant US companies exclusive access to key mining and infrastructure projects in the DRC.
