1st LD: DR Congo accepts Angola-proposed ceasefire plan; M23 says it was not informed

KINSHASA, Feb. 13 (Xinhua) -- The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) said Friday it has accepted the principle of a ceasefire proposed by Angola, while the March 23 Movement (M23) rebel group said it had not been informed, underscoring continuing divisions as regional mediators push to halt fighting in the country's east.

In a statement, the Congolese presidency said President Felix Tshisekedi agreed to the proposal "in a spirit of responsibility and de-escalation" to pursue a peaceful resolution to the conflict, reaffirming Kinshasa's commitment to regional stability and a return to lasting peace.

Angola, which has served as a key mediator in the DRC crisis since 2022, proposed late Wednesday that a ceasefire between the Congolese government and the M23 rebel group take effect on Feb. 18. The proposed date remains contingent on a public declaration of acceptance by the parties, according to Angolan authorities.

While Kinshasa publicly endorsed the principle of the truce, the M23 offered a different account. A senior official of the rebellion, Benjamin Mbonimpa, said on Friday that the group had not been informed of the Angola-proposed ceasefire initiative and remained committed to the ceasefire monitoring framework agreed in Doha, another mediator guiding talks between the DRC government and the M23 since March 2025.

"We have not been informed of what has been decided by Angola. We have always respected what was agreed in Doha, and we assume full responsibility for the Doha process," he said after Vivian van de Perre, acting head of the United Nations peacekeeping mission in the DRC, known as MONUSCO, met with rebel officials in Goma, the capital of North Kivu Province.

Mbonimpa added that the group had not been invited to the discussions held in Luanda and did not know the details of the proposal.

The M23 seized the eastern city of Goma in January 2025 and Bukavu, the capital of South Kivu Province, the following month.

In recent weeks, clashes have been reported near the town of Minembwe in South Kivu, according to local sources. Enditem