Angola is under fire after it denied entry to several senior African political figures set to attend a conference hosted by the country's main opposition party. Unita said it had invited the politicians,

Political analysts point to these developments as indicative of the challenges facing the African democratisation process, highlighting that the continent still has a long way to go.

Angolan President João Lourenço, currently chair of the African Union, has called for an immediate ceasefire in the ongoing conflict in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). President Lourenço on Saturday called for a ceasefire ahead of peace talks he will be hosting.

Angola said on Tuesday it would attempt to broker direct talks between Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda-backed M23 rebels in the coming days.

Democratic Republic of Congo will send a delegation to Angola on Tuesday for talks aiming to resolve a spiralling conflict against Rwandan-backed rebels in the east, the presidency said on Sunday. Angola said last week that direct peace talks between Congo and M23 rebels would begin in the Angolan capital Luanda on March 18.