A day after Rwandan President Paul Kagame pled for the resumption of peace talks in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), the country's Prime Minister Sam Lukonde tendered his resignation.
Kagame had regretted that the Nairobi Process led by former President Uhuru Kenyatta had been abandoned despite advocating for dialogue between M23 rebels in North Kivu and Felix Tshikidedi’s administration in Kinshasa.
Lukonde tendered his resignation on Tuesday to Tshikidedi effectively dissolving his government and threatening the dialogue process which Kagame had championed for.
“Rwanda is deeply concerned by the abandonment of the Luanda and Nairobi Processes by DRC, and by the international community's indifference to DRC's dramatic military build-up,” Kagame’s government had issued a statement hours before Lukonde’s resignation.
While Tshikidedi vowed not to engage M23 rebels, Lukonde was perceived to have aligned with Kagame’s train of thought on how to solve the stalemate in DRC.
In June 2023, Lukonde in a meeting chaired by Uhuru Kenyatta in Nairobi advocated for a dialogue process.
At the time, he assured of the DRC administration's commitment to the peace process while appreciating Uhuru’s efforts to bring together the two warring sides.
Immediately after Lukonde’s resignation, Rwanda’s mainstream media linked his exit from the PM role to the ongoing conflict.
“His resignation comes at a time the government faces mounting pressure to engage in dialogue with M23 rebels in the country's eastern region,” the New Times (Rwanda) reported.
A statement by the DRC presidency, however, contradicted stating that Lukonde resigned to join the National Assembly as a member of parliament. Tshikidedi also asked Lukonde's government to continue handling current affairs until a new administration is formed.
Before his resignation, Lukonde had served as PM for three years.
The Office of the 4th President of Kenya which handles Uhuru Kenyatta's communique has yet to respond to Lukonde’s resignation.
