For months, Angola has played the role of reluctant mediator in the interminable crisis in eastern DRC. No longer. In a decisive move, Angola has withdrawn from the Inter-Congolese Dialogue, reportedly citing Kinshasa’s serial failure to honor its commitments.
The message behind the move cannot be overstated: Angola has had enough of Félix Tshisekedi’s antics.
The warning signs were there as early as December 2024. After agreeing to direct dialogue with the M23, Kinshasa suddenly retracted its position, causing a planned presidential summit to collapse. Angola got its first clear glimpse of just how unserious the DRC’s leadership was about peace.
Then came the diplomatic whiplash. Without consulting Angolan mediators, Tshisekedi flew to Qatar and then to Washington, requesting that both countries take over mediation. Angola was left on the sidelines.
But soon after, Congolese president Tshisekedi returned, this time pleading for Angola to organize the Inter-Congolese Dialogue, apparently seeking to sidestep the very Doha process he had championed.
Angola reluctantly agreed but imposed one firm condition: all opposition parties would be invited, including the M23. Tshisekedi consented and committed to taking concrete steps.
Predictably, he reneged. He soon declared that only opposition groups willing to condemn M23, which he presented as part of what he called “Rwandan aggression”, would be welcome. The rebels and their political allies were explicitly excluded from the Inter-Congolese dialogue.
This directly contradicted President Lourenço’s core position: that dialogue is the foundation of stability. Lourenço had often pointed to Angola’s own hard-won peace with long-time UNITA rebels as proof that even bitter enemies can negotiate and make peace.
For Angola, this was the final straw. By walking away, Luanda is essentially telling Tshisekedi: from this point on, you are on your own. The circus is over.
Whether Kinshasa finally grasps the gravity of its isolation remains to be seen, but Angola will no longer waste its credibility on a partner who confuses negotiation with performance art.