According to their joint statement, the DRC government and M23 rebels supported by Rwanda have agreed to stop fighting while attempting to reach a more comprehensive peace agreement.
After a round of negotiations in Qatar’s capital Doha, a truce was announced late on Wednesday, giving hope that the most recent wave of violence, which was sparked by M23’s bloody assault and capture of the DRC’s two largest cities, will soon end.
Both parties reiterate their commitment to a complete end to hostilities, a categorical end to any hate speech and intimidation, and to calling on local communities to uphold these commitments, according to the joint statement.
The “cessation of hostilities” would continue to apply “until their conclusion” and continue for the duration of the talks.
Alain Uaykani, a journalist from the eastern DRC city of Goma, reported that the two parties’ recent failures in negotiations led to a positive change.
He continued to add that reports of ongoing clashes, including in South Kivu province, demonstrate how “fragile” any truce agreement is.
Following the Gulf state’s successful mediating of a surprise meeting between Congolese President Felix Tshisekedi and Rwandan President Paul Kagame last month, Qatar is facilitating peace efforts.
The meeting appeared to have opened the door for direct discussions between Kinshasa and M23, who Kinshasa had previously declined to meet with.
The 1994 Rwandan genocide, where M23 consisted primarily of ethnic Tutsi fighters, is the root of the decades-long conflict.
Many of the former rebels who later defected, citing discrimination and broken peace agreements, were former rebels who had been incorporated into the DRC army.
At least six truces between the two parties that ended up being broken have been reached since 2021. Taus thousands have been killed in the most recent violent incident since January, raising concerns about a wider regional conflict.
Rwanda has long denied providing military assistance, despite accusations from the DRC, the UN, and other Western governments that Rwanda supports M23 with troops and arms.
“Crystal step”
Some DRC governments and M23 sources, according to the Reuters news agency, expressed frustration with the pace of the negotiations despite the truce statement.
The outcome almost erupted due to disagreements over potential confidence-building measures, such as the release of DRC-held prisoners accused of having connections to Rwanda and M23, according to the sources.
In the end, Qatar managed to persuade the two parties to sign a joint statement promising to keep working on a truce, according to diplomats cited by Reuters.
Belgium’s foreign affairs minister, Maxime Prevot, stated on Wednesday in a post on X that “this is a crucial step toward ending the violence.”
Source: Aljazeera
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