A revised Budget 2025 presented on Wednesday by South Africa’s finance minister was immediately rejected by major political parties, even though a proposed increase in value-added tax was sharply reduced.

Direct peace talks between the Democratic Republic of Congo and M23 rebels will begin in the Angolan capital on 18 March, Angola's presidency said in a statement on Wednesday. The Congolese presidency has for now only acknowledged receiving the message.

Angola has announced plans to mediate peace talks between the Democratic Republic of Congo and the M23 rebel group. This marks a shift from previous negotiations that excluded the rebels and instead focused on their Rwandan backers.

Angola is advancing efforts to mediate the crisis in eastern DR Congo by facilitating direct negotiations between Kinshasa and the M23 rebel group. Following a meeting in Luanda, Angolan President João Lourenço announced plans to establish talks between the two sides to secure lasting peace.

Democratic Republic of Congo is considering sending representatives to peace talks that Angola plans to host next week which would mark its first direct negotiations with the Rwanda-backed M23 rebel group,

M23 is one of about 100 armed groups that have been vying for a foothold in mineral-rich eastern Congo near the border with Rwanda, in a conflict that has created one of the world