Congo rebels say they would not respect cease-fire agreement

​​​​​​​By Byobe Malenga

KINSHASA, Congo (AA) - Rebels in eastern Congo refused Thursday to honor a cease-fire pact because of efforts by Angola.

The March 23 Movement (M23) and the Congo River Alliance (AFC) said they were not invited to cease-fire discussions on Tuesday and were not involved in the agreement between the Congo and Rwanda.

A statement added the deal does not bind rebels to the agreement.

The two rebel forces that are under the coordination of former president of Congo’s National Independent Electoral Commission, Corneille Nangae, are said to have 3,000 soldiers, in addition to 4,000 soldiers from the Rwandan Defense Forces, according to the UN Group of Experts on the Democratic Republic of Congo.

The recent flare-up of fighting in eastern Congo has led to tensions between Kigali and Kinshasa.

Congo accuses Rwanda of backing the M23 rebels since their resurgence in November 2021 -- a charge Kigali consistently denies.

Angolan President Joao Lourenco was mandated by the African Union to lead efforts to provide a political settlement to the crisis in eastern Congo, where the M23 group is battling government forces.

A ministerial meeting on the security and peace situation in eastern Congo was held Tuesday in the Angolan capital of Luanda, in which Congo and Rwanda agreed on a new cease-fire deal from midnight Aug. 4.

The cease-fire would be monitored by an ad hoc reinforced verification mechanism.

At least 20 ADF militants were killed by Congolese armed forces in Lolwa in the territory of Mambasa in Ituri, according to the military.​​​​​​​