President Félix Tshisekedi of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has announced plans to convene a national dialogue aimed at addressing the country’s political and security challenges, particularly the long-running conflict in the eastern part of the country.
According to one of his advisers, Jacques Kongolo Bigirumwami, who spoke to BBC Great Lakes, the dialogue will bring together Congolese political stakeholders, especially opposition parties and armed groups that have agreed to support the peace process.
He said the M23 rebel movement will not be invited, as the DRC government accuses it of collaborating with Rwanda and destabilizing the country’s security.
Kongolo explained that the M23 issue is already being discussed through other peace initiatives, including the ongoing talks in Doha, and therefore the group will not take part in the planned domestic dialogue.
However, some political analysts argue that excluding M23 could undermine the effectiveness of the talks, noting that its leaders, including Corneille Nangaa and Sultani Makenga, are Congolese citizens.
While the government in Kinshasa maintains that the group serves the interests of foreign countries, both M23 and Rwanda continue to deny those allegations.
The DRC government says it hopes the national dialogue, which will bring Congolese stakeholders together, will create a fresh opportunity to discuss the country’s major challenges and find lasting solutions after several previous peace initiatives failed to achieve the expected results.
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