The Angolan ambassador to Rwanda, Eduardo Octávio, says that efforts to mend relations between Rwanda and DR Congo are on course and that his country is committed to finding a lasting solution to the tensions between the two countries. Octávio made the revelation during a press conference in Kigali on Monday, where he said that there is “hope” that a peace deal will be reached. Relations between Rwanda and DR Congo soured in October, when the Kinshasa government expelled the Rwandan ambassador Vincent Karega, on accusations Kigali supports the M23 rebel group fighting the government forces in the east of the country. Rwanda has long dismissed the claims and said Karega’s expulsion was “regrettable.” Rwanda instead has condemned the collaboration between the Congolese army (FARDC) and the FDLR, a terrorist group responsible for the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda. Similarly, Angola’s President João Lourenço met President Paul Kagame in Kigali last week for discussions about the diplomatic tensions between Rwanda and its western neighbour DR Congo. Lourenço, who mediates the two countries as the chair of the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region (ICGLR), later met DRC’ President Tshisekedi in Kinshasa. Through the Luanda roadmap, Angola has played the mediator role since July this year. “President Lourenço was here in Kigali precisely to accomplish his task as a mediator. It is possible to get actions in place and achieve peace,” Octávio said. “Sometimes when people have misunderstandings, it's not easy to arrive at an understanding but it is possible. We have the hope that we are going to achieve peace in this region,” he added. Amb Octávio said that resolutions might have been made during the presidential meetings in Kigali and Kinshasa. “Let's wait for the solutions of our leaders. Personally, I believe that we are going to have peace.” Since April this year, different regional peaceful mechanisms have been established to end the insecurity in eastern Congo, where over 100 armed groups operate.
