DR Congo's opposition parties have said that they would not take part in the national dialogue in its current form as proposed by President Felix Tshisekedi.
"The Article 64 Coalition categorically rejects and strongly opposes the so-called popular consultations initiated by Tshisekedi in place of the inclusive national dialogue," opposition leader Martin Fayulu said in a joint statement of the C64 opposition Coalition on August 28, according to the Radio Okapi website.
"The president's latest consultations address neither the urgency of the war, nor the insecurity, nor the health crises, nor the social distress of the people," the statement added.
On August 27, Tshisekedi launched the "National Dialogue" for Peace, Cohesion and the Refounding of the State, excluding armed groups such as the AFC/M23 coalition. The process, with consultations planned across all 26 provinces before a national meeting in Kinshasa, will last no more than three months.
The national dialogue is structured independently of the Washington process. Its primary focus remains on mediating DR Congo–Rwanda relations alongside the Doha track engaging Kinshasa and AFC/M23 representatives.
DR Congo has held several dialogues over the past 20 years, most of which failed to address root causes of the country's problems, including weak governance, ethnic tensions, inequality, poverty, impunity, corruption, and the drive by multinationals and foreign governments to access mineral wealth at all costs.
The government and AFC/M23 remain engaged in separate Qatar-mediated talks in Doha, which Tshisekedi said would continue to address the ceasefire, disengagement and disarmament.
