Congo plans to meet with M23 rebels for peace talks next Tuesday. The Angolan government announced yesterday that both sides agreed to meet on March 18. They'll talk directly to each other in Luanda, the capital of Angola. President João Lourenço from Angola will serve as the peace broker between these fighting groups.
The fighting grew worse when M23 fighters took over Goma city back in January. These Rwanda-backed rebels kept pushing forward last month, capturing Bukavu, the second-largest city in eastern Congo. Congo's leader, Felix Tshisekedi, traveled to Angola just Tuesday, hoping to arrange these discussions. Previous attempts at peace meetings left out the M23 group itself, focusing only on Rwanda.
M23 stands as just one among about a hundred different armed bands fighting for control of eastern Congo's rich mineral areas. The region borders Rwanda directly. This long-running battle ranks among the worst human crises anywhere - forcing more than seven million people from their homes. United Nations experts report that roughly four thousand soldiers from Rwanda help M23 forces.
The rebels sometimes brag they might march all the way to Kinshasa, the Congo capital city located more than one thousand miles away from current battle zones. This peace meeting represents the first time both main parties will speak face-to-face after months of failed attempts. Many Congolese hope these talks might finally bring relief to their war-torn eastern provinces.
The fighting grew worse when M23 fighters took over Goma city back in January. These Rwanda-backed rebels kept pushing forward last month, capturing Bukavu, the second-largest city in eastern Congo. Congo's leader, Felix Tshisekedi, traveled to Angola just Tuesday, hoping to arrange these discussions. Previous attempts at peace meetings left out the M23 group itself, focusing only on Rwanda.
M23 stands as just one among about a hundred different armed bands fighting for control of eastern Congo's rich mineral areas. The region borders Rwanda directly. This long-running battle ranks among the worst human crises anywhere - forcing more than seven million people from their homes. United Nations experts report that roughly four thousand soldiers from Rwanda help M23 forces.
The rebels sometimes brag they might march all the way to Kinshasa, the Congo capital city located more than one thousand miles away from current battle zones. This peace meeting represents the first time both main parties will speak face-to-face after months of failed attempts. Many Congolese hope these talks might finally bring relief to their war-torn eastern provinces.
