Kinshasa: Anglican Church insists AFC/M23 are ‘brothers’ who should not be excluded

This message was delivered by the Church’s Spokesperson, Pastor Eric Nsenga, after its and Catholic Church representatives met with DRC President Félix Tshisekedi on 17 July 2026, and he agreed to hold “informal talks” aimed at resolving the country’s problems.

Following these talks, DRC Government Spokesperson, Patrick Muyaya, signaled that the participants in the Congolese talks would not include those who had taken up arms and those who had not openly condemned what he called the provocations taking place in the east of their country.

The DRC government has repeatedly attacked AFC/M23 fighters, sometimes calling them foreigners, criminals and terrorists, and sometimes accusing them of being tools of foreign powers.

This shows that it is not ready to join this group in the inter-Congolese talks.

Pastor Nsenga said that the Catholic and Anglican Churches cannot support the inclusion of the AFC/M23 led by Corneille Nangaa Yobeluo in the talks between the Congolese and the DRC government, and that this has been shown to them by Tshisekedi.

He said, “Can we now say that those who took up arms, the group of Corneille Nangaa, are not being listened to?

No, that is not what we can say.

That is why you saw us in Goma.

At that time, we had a serious conversation with President Félix.

I will tell you.

The president said that there would be provocations.” The pastor said that in February 2025, the Catholic and Anglican Churches told Tshisekedi that there may be a real provocation but that Goma is controlled by Congolese who have taken up arms and have a reason to fight.

He said, “Instead of dwelling on this issue of saying that an armed group is a provocation, let’s look at how we can solve the problems of the children of the country.

That is why we went to Goma, we listened to those who are in Goma.

They are our brothers.

There are things they have said, we have heard them.” Pastor Nsenga stressed that this is not the time to continue the issue, but that each side should be listened to.

He explained that the AFC/M23 has a reason to fight and that the Catholic and Anglican Churches, as mediators, have no responsibility to undermine the reasons people give.