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Africa Live: Kagame agrees to meet Tshisekedi over eastern DRC crisis - BBC News Africa Live: Kagame agrees to meet Tshisekedi over eastern DR Congo crisis - BBC News
(32 minutes later)
Rwanda's President Paul Kagame has agreed to meet with his Democratic Republic of the Congo counterpart Felix Tshisekedi to discuss the ongoing crisis in eastern Congo, the Angolan government has said. Chad's government has announced that it would provide free water and electricity for households until the end of the year.
The agreement followed a meeting on Monday in Angola's capital Luanda between Mr Kagame and Angolan President João Lourenço, the African Union's (AU) mediator in the DR Congo crisis. The monthly household consumption payable by the government is capped at 15 cubic metres (15,000 litres) of water and 300 kWh of electricity.
"It was decided that President Kagame would agree to meet President Tshisekedi on a date to be indicated by the mediator," Angola's Foreign Minister Tete Antonio told the press after the meeting. The government on Monday said it would also clear water and electricity bills for residents with outstanding arrears.
Mr Antonio said that both Rwanda and the DR Congo had agreed to hold the meeting, with ministerial delegations from both sides working toward the plan. It also announced a cut in transport taxes that could lower transport costs, which hiked last month with a rise in fuel prices.
Rwanda's presidency said on X that the two leaders "agreed on key steps towards addressing the root causes of the conflict". Chad's junta leader and interim President Mahamat Déby sanctioned the policy "to assist households", a joint statement by the presidency and finance minister said.
President Kagame's trip to Angola follows a similar visit by Mr Tshisekedi to Luanda last month, during which it was announced that the DR Congo leader had agreed to meet with his Rwandan counterpart. Some Chadians perceive the move as Mr Déby's attempt to endear to voters.
But Mr Tshisekedi demanded the withdrawal of Rwandan troops from the Congolese territory before meeting President Kagame, the DR Congo presidency said. He will be vying for the presidency when Chad holds elections between May and June.
Fighting between M23 rebels and Congolese forces has flared in the DR Congo's east, displacing more than 100,000 people in recent weeks, according to the UN. Some residents also say that the move is meaningless as several parts in the capital, N'Djamena, have faced a power outage for the past two weeks.
DR Congo has accused Rwanda of backing M23 rebels, an accusation that Kigali denies. But some Chadians have welcomed the measure as a much-needed relief to the ongoing cost-of-living crisis.
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