Congo DR: Félix Tshisekedi’s urgent message to João Lourenço amid intense regional talks

On Friday 10 July 2026, the President of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Félix Tshisekedi, sent an official message to his Angolan counterpart, João Manuel Gonçalves Lourenço. According to Angola’s Ministry of External Relations, the letter was delivered by Congo’s itinerant ambassador, Antoine Ghonda Mangalibi, and presented to Tete António, Angola’s Minister of External Relations.

A message from His Excellency Félix Antoine Tshisekedi Tshilombo, President of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, to His Excellency João Manuel Gonçalves Lourenço, President of the Republic of Angola, was handed over this Friday afternoon in Luanda to His Excellency Tete António, Angola’s Minister of External Relations, as announced by the Angolan ministry responsible for diplomacy.

While the contents of the correspondence remain undisclosed, this diplomatic move comes against the backdrop of the ongoing war in eastern Congo DR, where the M23 rebellion, backed by Rwanda, continues to control vast territories in North Kivu and South Kivu provinces. Diplomatic initiatives in Washington and Doha have yet to yield tangible results in resolving the conflict. This action also coincides with national political debates surrounding a potential constitutional revision or amendment, with just two years remaining in President Tshisekedi’s term.

The message handover is part of an intensified period of regional diplomatic consultations. Kinshasa and Luanda are engaged in regular exchanges on bilateral issues as well as peace and security challenges in the Great Lakes region. It follows consultations led by Burundi’s President Évariste Ndayishimiye, current African Union chair, with Congo DR’s religious leaders and a group of opposition figures.

Another significant diplomatic development linked to Congo DR’s situation was President Tshisekedi’s recent visit to Brazzaville for talks with his Congolese counterpart, Denis Sassou Nguesso. This visit followed the state visit of Évariste Ndayishimiye to Kinshasa. Days later, Denis Sassou Nguesso continued his consultations by receiving Cardinal Fridolin Ambongo to discuss Congo DR’s political and institutional landscape.

Last February, at a high-level meeting in Luanda, regional leaders involved in Congo DR’s peace process tasked Angola with leading consultations with Congolese stakeholders to prepare for an inter-Congolese dialogue. This decision was announced in a statement from Angola’s presidency following a meeting that included Angolan President João Lourenço (then AU chair), President Tshisekedi, Togo’s Prime Minister Faure Gnassingbé (designated AU mediator), and Olusegun Obasanjo (representing the panel of five former African heads of state facilitating Congo DR’s peace process).

Since this appointment, diplomatic contacts between Kinshasa and Luanda have continued through multiple exchanges between envoys of Presidents Tshisekedi and Lourenço. However, this initiative has yet to produce the expected outcomes. Sources indicate the inter-Congolese dialogue remains stalled due to disagreements over its format and the identity of parties invited to participate.