Angola–Democratic Republic of the Congo relations

Angola–Democratic Republic of the Congo relations refers to the current relationship between Angola and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The two states share a 2,646 km (1,644 m) border.[1]

Angola–DRC relations

Angola
DR Congo

Historically, Angola has been closely involved in Congolese politics, taking part in the 1997 war to oust Mobutu Sese Seko from power. It then intervened during the Second Congo War in 1998 on the side of the new administration under Laurent-Désiré Kabila. Since the end of the conflict, the Angolan government remained an ally of President Joseph Kabila and supported him militarily. However, Angola's main interest is stability in the DRC, and Kabila's attempts to remain in power and postponement of elections since the end of his term in December 2016, leading to mass protests, have caused a cooling in relations between the two countries.[2]

About 30,000 Congolese refugees fleeing from violence in the Kasaï-Central region of the DRC due to the Kamwina Nsapu rebellion that began in August 2016 entered Angola. By late 2017, several thousand returned to Congo.[3] In October 2018, about 300,000 Congolese fled Angola, many of them in response to violence in the mining town Lucapa;[4] DRC's foreign minister Léonard She Okitundu summoned Angola's ambassador over the expulsion, demanding a “comprehensive investigation to establish who is responsible for these wrongful acts”.[5]

See also

References
  1. CIA World Factbook – Democratic Republic of the Congo, retrieved 29 January 2020
  2. Vines, Alex (21 August 2017). The DRC Will Be the First Foreign Policy Priority for Angola’s New President. Chatham House. Retrieved 14 December 2017.
  3. Quarter of DRC refugees in Angola 'have gone home'. News24. Published 13 October 2017. Retrieved 14 December 2017.
  4. Giulia Paravicini and Stephen Eisenhammer (October 25, 2018), Three days of violence that emptied an Angolan town of Congolese Reuters.
  5. Giulia Paravicini (October 16, 2018), Congo accuses Angola of violent expulsions, Luanda denies Reuters.


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