DR Congo / Rwanda Conflict : Peace In The Horizon

When the current President of the DR Congo Felix Tshisekedi came to power a few years ago, many showered praises on the approach he and his Rwandan counterpart Paul Kagame took in solving the crisis between the two countries. After two border towns meetings, during which both statesmen expressed the wish to work hand-in-glove, the people of Congo did not reap the benefits of these meetings for a long time. A few months after these historic meetings, fresh clashes broke out between the Democratic Republic of Congo’s (DR Congo) army and the M23 rebel group said to be supported by Rwanda. The current conflict in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of Congo threatens both national and cross-border security. Militiamen, especially those of March 23 Movement (M23) and Allied Democratic Front (ADF) have killed, raped, burned and looted the natural resources of the DRC. The atrocities have increased despite the creation of the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the DRC (MONUSCO) in 2010. 
But the renewed fighting over the past months in North Kivu (eastern DR Congo) has slowed down following an agreement to a “de-escalation process” after mediated talks. The mediator, Angolan President Joao Lourenco, went further to state that the agreement is a “ceasefire”. Though the agreement was short-lived, it however paved the way for other meetings. Last month, the talks entered higher height as the DR Congo leader, Felix Tshisekedi and Rwandan Foreign Minister Vincent Biruta went in...