With his Mauritanian counterpart, Mohamed Ould Ghazouani, who will succeed him as the rotating Presidency of the African Union from February, the topic of the telephone conversation "was the issue of instability and security in Africa", the statement reads.
"In the middle of the afternoon today, President João Lourenço, the mediator mandated by the African Union for the conflict in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo", discussed with his Equatorial Guinean counterpart, Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo, the situation in that African region, which the statement describes as being "tense".
The security crisis and the threat of escalation in the conflict in the eastern DR Congo were also discussed this Tuesday in Luanda, during an Emergency Meeting of the Peace and Security Council of the African Union (AU), according to a statement distributed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The meeting was held via videoconference and was chaired by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Côte d'Ivoire, Kacou Housdja Leon Adom, in his capacity as acting chair of the Peace and Security Council of the African Union for this month.
Angola, which currently holds the presidency of the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region (ICGLR), was represented by the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, Esmeralda Bravo Conde da Silva Mendonça.
As part of the Angolan presidency of the ICGLR and the mandate granted by the African Union to mediate the crisis in the DR Congo, João Lourenço "has led political and diplomatic initiatives to restore peace and stability in the region, combat the presence of armed groups and foster trust between the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Rwanda", the statement highlights.
At the meeting, the Secretary of State deplored "the continuation of hostilities and the flagrant violation of the ceasefire, in force since 4 August 2024, by the M23 group, which has been deteriorating the security situation in the provinces of North Kivu and South Kivu", the statement details.
"The Angolan Government strongly condemns the actions of the M23 and reaffirms its commitment to the defence of human rights, the protection of civilians and the preservation of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Democratic Republic of the Congo", the note adds.
Angola "reiterates the urgency of an immediate cessation of hostilities and calls for the parties to return to the negotiating table within the framework of the Luanda Process, recognised by the African Union and the international community as the main mechanism for a peaceful and lasting solution in the region".
The heads of diplomacy of the DR Congo and Rwanda, Therese Wagner and Olivier Nduhungirehe, respectively, participated in this meeting.
The East African Community has called an extraordinary summit in Nairobi on Wednesday to try to contain the escalation of the conflict in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo.
The Kenyan presidency announced the presence of Democratic Congolese President Félix Tshisekedi and Rwandan President Paul Kagame, leaders of neighbouring countries that are in open confrontation in the east of the DR Congo.
