Angolan President João Lourenço will host central and southern Africa heads of state as they all gather to assess the political state in the region as well the current situation in DRC.
“During the meeting, the heads of state will discuss the persistence of violence in CAR, the electoral process in DR Congo and many other issues,” said Angolan Foreign Minister Manuel Agosto.
Presidents of the Democratic Republic of Congo, Republic of the Congo, South Africa, Rwanda, Uganda, Gabon as well as African Union Commission chairperson Moussa Faki Mahamat have been invited for Tuesday’s summit.
Last week, DR Congo President Joseph Kabila announced that he would not stand for re-election. Instead, he nominated former interior minister Emmanuel Ramazani Shadary as his successor.
Three opposition heavyweights, Felix Tshisekedi, Jean-Pierre Bemba and Vital Kamerhe are among 25 candidates who have registered to run in the country’s long-awaited elections.
Kabila, 47, should have stepped down at the end of 2016 when his constitutional two-term limit expired but invoked a constitutional clause enabling him to stay on as caretaker.
