Intelligence experts from Rwanda, DR Congo and Angola met in Luanda on Wednesday, August 7, to discuss the security situation in eastern DR Congo, the Angolan Ministry of Foreign Affairs said. The meeting of intelligence experts follows the July 30 meeting of foreign ministers from the three countries, which ordered a ceasefire in North Kivu province, where the Congolese army is fighting the M23 rebels. ALSO READ: M23 rebels want ongoing ceasefire to ‘open door to dialogue’ The second ministerial meeting ordered intelligence experts to examine a plan developed by the Congolese government for the neutralisation of the FDLR, a militia linked to the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda and one of the root causes of conflict in eastern DR Congo. ALSO READ: Rwanda, DR Congo, Angola intelligence experts to examine FDLR neutralisation plan The UN-sanctioned terrorist group, which has launched attacks on Rwanda since its founding in 2000, is at the heart of diplomatic tensions between Rwanda and DR Congo. Angola serves as the mediator between the two countries. The “Afonso Van-Dúnem Mbinda” Amphitheatre of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has been hosting the Meeting of Intelligence Experts on the Security and Peace Situation in the East of the Democratic Republic of Congo since Wednesday morning in Luanda. pic.twitter.com/Al4TNL3nA5 — Ministério das Relações Exteriores/MRE -(Angola) (@angola_Mirex) August 7, 2024 The proposed plan for the neutralisation of the FDLR was developed after the first meeting of the three countries’ foreign ministers in March and the Rwandan government has since shared its observation on it. ALSO READ: Rwanda raises concerns over DR Congo arming FDLR, indigenous armed groups The intelligence experts are expected to submit their report by August 15, before the third ministerial meeting, which is also scheduled for the same month. The Angola-mediated negotiations between Rwanda and DR Congo, known as the Luanda Process, were initiated in mid-2022 after the two countries’ relations took a hit from the conflict between the Congolese army and the M23 rebel. ALSO READ: UN official renews call to hold genocidaires in DR Congo accountable The Congolese government accuses Rwanda of supporting the rebels – allegations Kigali dismisses. Rwanda has also laid out its concerns about the integration of the FDLR into the Congolese army in its war against the M23 rebels. The Rwandan government says the FDLR, which is accused of spreading genocide ideology and hate speech against the Congolese Tutsi communities, not only threatens Rwanda's security but also the wider Great Lakes Region. ALSO READ: We want justice: Stories of DR Congo’s ‘tired' refugees The United Nations Special Advisor Alice Wairimu Nderitu said in late July that the presence in eastern DR Congo of the militia implicated in the Genocide against the Tutsi fed into a “cycle of impunity.” She said it was “unacceptable” that the perpetrators of the Genocide that claimed over one million lives had not been held to account three decades later. “Accountability is the first step towards breaking the cycle of impunity and recurrence,” said Nderitu, adding that risk factor for genocide in eastern DR Congo “remain grimly high.”
