Congolese President Felix Tshisekedi says the participation of any armed group, such as M23 rebels, in a national dialogue remains impossible as long as the group continues to take up arms against the government.

In a speech broadcast on national television on Thursday, the Democratic Republic of Congo leader said the national dialogue will be a “sovereign initiative, conceived by Congolese for Congolese, conducted on national territory, and orientated exclusively toward the supreme interests of the Nation.”

Tshisekedi adds the dialogue “will bring together the daughters and sons of our country around an imperative that transcends individuals, parties, and ambitions: to defend the Republic, consolidate peace, preserve national unity, and protect our strategic interests”

DR Congo, in central Africa, has been repeatedly hit by conflict in the mineral-rich east, in particular the resurgence of the M23 rebel group since 2021.

Conditions for participation

Tshisekedi assured, "No one will be excluded based on their opinions, criticisms, political affiliation, provincial origin, language, ethnicity, or religion," but also warned, “no one can claim a seat at the nation's table while taking up arms against it.”

Tshisekedi adds the national dialogue "will neither be a negotiation with the aggressor nor its proxies, nor an indirect way to challenge the sovereign choice of the people expressed through the ballot box. Nor will it lead to the suspension of the Republic's institutions, which will continue to fully exercise their prerogatives until the constitutional end of their mandates.”

Fighters have seized swathes of territory and the December peace deal has failed to end the fighting.

Consultations would take up to three months, the president says, adding that the resulting document will be used as a basis for "national talks" and a "national pact" based on "peace, national unity and the higher interest of the republic".