The year 2024 will most likely leave eastern DR Congo as volatile as it found it, if not worse: a conflict zone. This year offered a number of opportunities to bring an end to the conflict in eastern DR Congo, particularly in North Kivu province.

These included seven back-to-back tripartite ministerial meetings held in Luanda, Angola.

As the conflict also affected bilateral relations between Rwanda and DR Congo, the Luanda meetings, mediated by Angola, brought together Rwandan and Congolese foreign ministers to find a way out of the diplomatic tiff between the two countries.

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However, like in 2023, this year the government in Kinshasa manifested little to no political will to end the crisis. At first, Kinshasa was reluctant to sign an agreement that would chart the path to the neutralisation of the genocidal FDLR militia, even after intelligence experts from Rwanda, DR Congo and Angola had recommended it.

When the FDLR issue was, on paper, addressed along with the issue of the lifting of Rwanda’s defensive measures, Kinshasa put up another hurdle by refusing to negotiate with the M23 rebels. This culminated in the last-minute cancellation of the proposed summit of Presidents of Rwanda, DR Congo and Angola, who would sign an agreement on peace on December 15.

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The Luanda process sought to address the three issues of contention in the conflict: the FDLR, Rwanda’s defensive measures and the M23 rebellion. While the proposal for an agreement had been discussed at the high-level meetings between the three countries since at least August, on December 14, during the seventh ministerial meeting, the Congolese side acted against the nod it had given to proposed negotiation with M23 rebels. This put the African Union-backed Luanda process in limbo.

Peace and stability in DR Congo means stability in the region. Therefore, if the Congolese leadership sincerely wants peace to reign, it must take responsibility in the conflict. This will require Kinshasa to boost its political will in pursuit of peace and to act in good faith during negotiations.

The only missing link to have headway in as regards achieving a peaceful DR Congo and the Great Lakes Region by extension is for Kinshasa to show goodwill and faith other than constant prevarication.