M23 rebels pull out of peace talks with Congo after EU sanctions

M23 rebels supported by Rwanda on Monday withdrew from peace negotiations with the government of the Democratic Republic of Congo, just under 24 hours before the conflicting parties in eastern Congo’s most severe conflict in decades were set to meet in Angola.

The rebel alliance, including M23, announced its withdrawal from what might have been the first direct negotiations between the two sides due to European Union sanctions placed earlier that day on M23 and Rwandan officials. The Congo River Alliance stated that the actions of the EU were intended to “hinder the eagerly awaited discussions.”

The M23 has consistently sought direct talks with the Kinshasa administration, but Congo President Felix Tshisekedi has declined, claiming that M23 is simply a facade for Rwanda. On Sunday, he changed his stance and consented to dispatch a delegation to Luanda due to a number of military defeats and pressure from his ally Angola.

Tina Salama, a representative for Tshisekedi, stated following the M23’s retreat that the government group would still go to Luanda. The conflict, stemming from the aftermath of Rwanda’s 1994 genocide and the struggle for mineral wealth, has rapidly escalated since January.

M23 rebels have seized control of the two biggest cities in eastern Congo, resulting in thousands of deaths and displacing hundreds of thousands from their residences.

The United Nations and global powers blame Rwanda for supplying weapons and dispatching troops to combat alongside the ethnic Tutsi-led M23. Rwanda claims its troops are defending themselves against the Congolese military and militias antagonistic to Kigali.

The European Union’s sanctions were among the most extensive imposed on the M23 and Rwanda since the rebels intensified their offensive earlier this year. Zobel Behalal, a senior expert at the Global Initiative against Transnational Organized Crime, mentioned that they were significant in targeting Rwanda’s mining board and a gold processing facility.

In its statement, the M23’s Congo River Alliance said international actors had adopted an “incomprehensible and ambiguous stance.”

“Successive sanctions imposed on our members, including those enacted on the eve of the Luanda discussions, severely undermine direct dialogue and make any progress impossible,” it said.