Rebels’ battlefield advantage in east Congo complicates push for talks

By Sonia Rolley

For years, Rwanda-backed M23 rebels in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo demanded direct negotiations with Congolese authorities. Battlefield gains mean they can now afford to snub them to try to wring out more concessions.

When President Felix Tshisekedi’s government, reeling from M23’s capture of eastern Congo’s two biggest cities, finally agreed over the weekend to talks with M23 on Tuesday in Angola, the rebels pulled out.

M23’s rebel coalition, the Congo River Alliance (AFC), said on Monday that European Union sanctions imposed against their leaders and Rwandan officials accused of supporting them had made talks “impracticable”.

“M23/AFC has taken advantage of the European sanctions to disengage, but this withdrawal also shows a refusal to enter negotiations without a guarantee of obtaining substantial concessions,” said Tresor Kibangula, a political analyst at Congo’s Ebuteli research institute.

Tshisekedi and his Rwandan counterpart Paul Kagame both called for a ceasefire in a surprise