The Democratic Republic of the Congo and a coalition of militias including the Rwanda-backed M23 have agreed to work toward a truce to end the fighting that has engulfed the eastern part of the country since January.
In similarly worded statements released on Wednesday night, the government and Alliance Fleuve Congo (Congo River Alliance) said their representatives had held talks facilitated by Qatar and resolved to end the conflict through peaceful means.
“After frank and constructive discussions, representatives of the Democratic Republic of Congo and the AFC/M23 agreed to work towards concluding a truce that would contribute to the effectiveness of a ceasefire,” said the statement.
“By mutual agreement, both parties reaffirm their commitment to an immediate cessation of hostilities, a categorical rejection of any hate speech, intimidation and call on all local communities to uphold these commitments.”
The statement, the first such agreement the sides have announced jointly, described the talks as “frank and constructive” and said they were reaffirming their commitment to “an immediate end to hostilities”.
Delegations from M23 and the Congolese government met in Doha this month. The latest mediation effort by Qatar, which has signed several economic cooperation agreements with Rwanda and the DRC, came after the Arab country brokered a meeting between the Congolese president, Felix Tshisekedi, and his Rwandan counterpart, Paul Kagame, in the capital last month.
Both leaders called for a ceasefire after the meeting but it was not held. More than six truces and ceasefires have been agreed but failed since 2021.
Delphin Ntanyoma, visiting researcher in peace and conflict studies at the University of Leeds, said while international pressure could sustain the Qatari-led process, questions remained over how it would be coordinated. He suggested it would be difficult to monitor the cessation of hostilities in “such a volatile and inaccessible large region of the Kivus” – referring to two provinces where fighting has taken place.
In January, M23 started a rapid advance against the Congolese military and its allied forces in eastern DRC, capturing the region’s largest cities, Goma and Bukavu.
The fighting has left a trail of destruction and exacerbated the humanitarian situation in the region. Thousands of people have been killed and hundreds of thousands displaced.
DRC, the US and other countries say Rwanda is backing M23 in order to exploit the area’s vast natural resources. Rwanda denies this.
Some participants in the Qatar talks complained the meetings were quickly weighed down by technical details.
Sources from both sides told Reuters potential “confidence-building measures” such as the release of DRC-held prisoners accused of links to Rwanda and M23 inflamed tensions and almost derailed the outcome.
“They are asking for too much,” a government source said. “Our justice system is independent. We cannot give in to every whim. Crimes have been committed. Some people must pay.”
A source from the rebel alliance said the parties left Doha when the disagreements over the confidence-building measures became an unsurmountable obstacle to substantive talks.
Diplomats briefed on the talks said Qatar managed to put pressure on the two sides into releasing a joint statement agreeing to continue to work on a truce.
Reuters and the Associated Press contributed to this report
