Rwandan President Paul Kagame and Angolan President Joao Lourenço recently met in Luanda to discuss the security situation in eastern DR Congo. During the one-day working visit, the two leaders agreed on crucial steps to address the root causes of the conflict in the region.

Kagame has also agreed to meet with President Felix Tshisekedi of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) to discuss security in the volatile eastern region. Lourenço serves as the mediator between Rwanda and DR Congo, whose diplomatic relations were strained by conflict in the eastern region involving a government-led coalition against M23 rebels. The meeting occurred amid calls from various governments and international organizations to return to negotiations and prevent the crisis from escalating into a regional conflict.

The UN reports that renewed clashes between the M23 rebel group and the Congolese army in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo have displaced over 100,000 civilians in recent weeks. The DR Congo blames Rwanda for supporting the M23 rebels, but Rwanda denies this claim.