President Tshisekedi rules out M23 from DR Congo national dialogue

DR Congo President Felix Tshisekedi has ruled out participation by the Rwanda-backed M23 armed group in a planned national dialogue aimed at reconciliation in the conflict-hit Democratic Republic of Congo.

In a televised address on Thursday, Tshisekedi said a peace agreement signed in Washington in December remained the "appropriate framework" for addressing the ongoing conflict in eastern DRC.

"The national dialogue will not substitute for this process," he said.

The announcement comes as fighting continues in eastern DR Congo, where the M23 has seized large areas since launching a major offensive in 2021.

The mineral-rich region has endured decades of armed conflict, with successive waves of violence displacing civilians and undermining efforts to establish lasting peace.

The December peace agreement has so far failed to bring an end to the fighting, despite diplomatic efforts to halt hostilities.

President Tshisekedi announced the national dialogue in mid-July as part of efforts to address the country's political and security challenges. Some opposition figures have called for representatives of the M23 and former President Joseph Kabila to be included in the process.

Kabila was sentenced to death in absentia in September 2025 after being convicted of "complicity" with the armed group.

However, Tshisekedi said the door remained open to those willing to renounce violence and condemn what he described as aggression against the country.

He said consultations for the national dialogue could take up to three months.

The resulting document would then provide the basis for broader "national talks" and the adoption of a "national pact" focused on peace, national unity and what he called the "higher interest of the republic."

The government faces the challenge of balancing the national dialogue with ongoing regional and international efforts to end the conflict in eastern DR Congo.

(With input from the wires)