M23 pulls out of Tuesday's Luanda talks

The Rwanda-backed M23 rebel group has announced that it is no longer participating in peace talks after earlier confirming it would alongside the Congolese government, which says it will still attend the Angola-mediated Luanda meeting in Luanda Tuesday despite the M23 snub.

The M23 withdrawal from talks came after the European Union imposed sanctions on its leader and on Rwandan army commanders.

M23 spokesperson Lawrence Kanyuka wrote on X that “certain international institutions are deliberately working to sabotage peace efforts in the Democratic Republic of Congo and make the long-awaited talks impossible”.

“The successive sanctions imposed on our members, including those adopted on the eve of the Luanda discussions, seriously compromise direct dialogue and prevent any progress,” Kanyuka said, adding that for those reasons, M23 can “no longer participate in the discussion”.

Earlier on Monday, Kanyuka had reported that an M23 delegation had been sent to Angola’s capital, Luanda.

The rebel group has captured mineral-rich, key areas in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DR Congo or DRC) since the start of this year in a major offensive that has killed many thousands.