Eastern DRC peace summit cancelled

LUANDA: A summit between the Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda was abruptly cancelled on Sunday after the latest round of talks to end fighting in the eastern DRC deadlocked, dashing hopes for an immediate peace deal for the region torn apart by 30 years of conflict. The talks between delegations from both sides stalled overnight over Rwanda's demand that the DRC open direct dialogue with the Kigali-backed M23 rebel group that has seized swathes of the eastern DRC since 2021, displacing thousands and triggering a humanitarian crisis, officials said.

There had been high hopes that DRC leader Felix Tshisekedi and his Rwandan counterpart Paul Kagame would sign a peace deal at a summit hosted by Angolan President Joao Lourenco, the African Union-designated mediator in the dispute between the neighbouring countries. But after the talks stalled late on Sunday, Kagame decided not to travel to Luanda for the meeting, Rwandan officials said. Lourenco met with Tshisekedi and former Kenyan president Uhuru Kenyatta, another facilitator of the peace talks. — AFP