GOMA, Congo (AP) — Planned face-to-face peace talks between Congo and Rwanda have been unexpectedly canceled, the Congolese president said.
Congo’s President Felix Tshisekedi and Rwanda’s President Paul Kagame were set to meet Sunday in Angola, which has been mediating the conflict to put an end to a decades-long conflict in eastern Congo between the Congolese army and M23 rebel group, which is allegedly backed by Rwanda.
The Congolese presidency said in a post on X that the Rwandan delegation refused to take part in the meeting. On Saturday, Rwanda had made the signing of a peace agreement conditional on a direct dialogue between Congo and the M23 rebels, which Congo refused, the presidency added.
Rwanda's government said in a statement that the meeting was postponed.
"No consensus was reached between Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo on a commitment to direct talks with the Congolese rebel group M23," read the statement. “This summit would therefore not have resulted in an agreement.”
M23 is one of about 100 armed groups that have been vying for a foothold in mineral-rich eastern Congo near the border with Rwanda, in a conflict that has created one of the world’s largest humanitarian crises. More than 7 million people have been displaced.
Congo and the United Nations accuse Rwanda of backing M23. Rwanda denies the claim, but in February admitted that it has troops and missile systems in eastern Congo to safeguard its security, pointing to a buildup of Congolese forces near the border. U.N. experts estimate there are up to 4,000 Rwandan forces in Congo.
The foreign ministers of Congo and Rwanda last month agreed on the terms and conditions of the disengagement of Rwandan forces in eastern Congo.
In July, Congo signed a ceasefire with Rwanda that came into effect in August, but fighting has since resumed. The United States said in November it was “gravely concerned” by ceasefire violations by M23 rebels.
On Friday, Congo’s army accused M23 of killing 12 civilians in several villages in eastern Congo. An M23 spokesperson told The Associated Press it denied the accusation, discrediting it as “propaganda” from Congo’s government.
FILE - Congo's President Felix Tshisekedi speaks during a press conference at the Elysee Palace in Paris, April 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena, File)
FILE - M23 rebels stand with theirs weapons in Kibumba, in the eastern of Democratic Republic of Congo, Dec. 23, 2022. (AP Photo/Moses Sawasawa, File)
ROME (AP) — Forget about the Tinkerman. Claudio Ranieri is the Derbyman now.
Ranieri extended his perfect record in the capital derby as Roma beat Lazio 2-0 in Serie A on Sunday to give the Giallorossi a much-needed boost in what has been a difficult season.
Roma captain Lorenzo Pellegrini scored the opener with a curling shot from the edge of the area and Alexis Saelemaekers finished off a counterattack to give Roma a two-goal advantage after 18 minutes.
Ranieri improved his record to five wins in five derbies as Roma’s coach. He’s the team’s third manager this season after Daniele De Rossi and Ivan Juric were both fired. His other derby wins came during his first stint as Roma’s coach from 2009-11. He also coached his hometown club briefly in 2019.
Ranieri has also won the three other big derbies in Italy in Milan, Turin and Genoa as coach of Inter Milan, Juventus and Sampdoria, respectively.
Ranieri is best known for shocking the soccer world by leading Leicester to a Premier League title in 2016 but he was also ridiculed at times in England for his tendency to rotate his players regularly, hence the Tinkerman moniker.
Ranieri helped Cagliari avoid relegation last season and had said that would be his final club job but he couldn’t turn down Roma when he was called in to restore order in November. Ranieri's contract calls for him to step up into an executive role after this season, from which he'll have a say who will be the teams' next coach.
Roma, which has won three of its last five in Serie A, moved up to 10th place. Lazio remained fourth.
Pellegrini has been subjected to severe criticism by Roma’s fans this season, and his goal lifted the pressure off of Roma.
A car went up in flames outside the Stadio Olimpico about an hour before kickoff after being struck by fireworks as rival fans attempted to approach each other.
Also Sunday, Cagliari came back from a goal down to win 2-1 at last-place Monza with scores from Nadir Zortea and Roberto Piccoli.
Torino-Parma and Lecce-Genoa each finished 0-0.
AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
Roma's Alexis Saelemaekers, right, shakes hands with Roma's head coach Claudio Ranieri, left, and leaves the pitch after being substituted during a Serie A soccer match between Roma and Lazio, at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome, Italy, Sunday, Jan. 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)
Roma's Evan Ndicka, right, duels for the ball with Lazio's Gustav Isaksen during a Serie A soccer match between Roma and Lazio, at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome, Italy, Sunday, Jan. 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)
Roma's Lorenzo Pellegrini, left, kicks the ball during a Serie A soccer match between Roma and Lazio, at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome, Italy, Sunday, Jan. 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)
Lazio's Alessio Romagnoli reacts during a Serie A soccer match between Roma and Lazio, at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome, Italy, Sunday, Jan. 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)
Roma's Lorenzo Pellegrini celebrates after scoring the opening goal during a Serie A soccer match between Roma and Lazio, at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome, Italy, Sunday, Jan. 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)
Roma's Alexis Saelemaekers, center, celebrates after scoring his side's second goal during a Serie A soccer match between Roma and Lazio, at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome, Italy, Sunday, Jan. 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)
Roma's Lorenzo Pellegrini, center, scores his side's opening goal during a Serie A soccer match between Roma and Lazio, at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome, Italy, Sunday, Jan. 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)
Roma's head coach Claudio Ranieri looks on during warm up before a Serie A soccer match between Roma and Lazio, at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome, Italy, Sunday, Jan. 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)
