Kinshasa, M23 rebels will continue talks Uganda

« Both parties are still here in Uganda…. The talks have not been officially called off, » Ugandan government spokesman, Ofwono Opondo, told reporters on Tuesday.

Negotiations broke down after Kinshasa demanded changes to the agreement. This came while Congolese Foreign Minister Raymond Tshibanda stressed the government is committed to peace.

Uganda, which is hosting and mediating the talks, said it was expecting the talks to continue. « As and when the DRC delegation will be ready, the facilitator will communicate a new date, » Opondo said.

On November 5, DR Congo claimed « total victory » over the March 23 Movement, generally known as M23, after capturing the group’s remaining hilltop positions in north of Goma to end a 20-month conflict.

Hours later, M23 leader Bertrand Bisimwa declared an end to the group’s armed struggle and announced it would disarm and pursue political talks.

M23 rebels, mostly from the Tutsi ethnic group, have wrought havoc across eastern DR Congo since they took up arms against the central government in April 2012.

Earlier this year the UN approved a new mission of 3,000 African soldiers with a mandate to fight the rebels.

Despite the demise of M23, DR Congo continues to host a multitude of rebel groups mostly operating in the country’s mineral-rich east.

Mr Johnson Keto
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