The African state’s government and the M23 group had been due to conclude a ceasefire deal last week, but the negotiations collapsed
The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DR Congo) and the M23 armed group have resumed negotiations in Doha to end their protracted conflict, mediator Qatar has said. Fighting continues to rage in the Central African country’s mineral-rich east despite a recent pledge to pursue peace.
On Tuesday, Qatari Foreign Ministry spokesperson Majed al-Ansari told reporters that representatives of DR Congo’s government and the M23 were meeting in Doha to assess progress on a ceasefire agreement signed last month.
Regional and international actors have pushed for a ceasefire in DR Congo since M23 rebels intensified their offensive earlier this year in the country’s eastern provinces. The militants have seized key mining hubs, including Goma and Bukavu, reportedly killing thousands.
In July, Congolese officials and the militants signed a declaration in Doha that set a new timeline for peace after months of Qatar-mediated talks. The parties agreed to open negotiations on August 8 and conclude a full peace deal by August 18. Kinshasa hailed the move as a step toward lasting truce, but the deadline passed without progress, with each side accusing the other of violations.
Ansari said the resumed talks, supported by the US and Red Cross, aim to establish a ceasefire monitoring mechanism and arrange prisoner exchanges between Kinshasa and M23.
On Monday, US President Donald Trump claimed he had ended the decades-long conflict in the DR Congo, which he described as the “darkest, deepest” part of Africa.
“For 35 years, a war raged between Rwanda and the Republic of the Congo. It was a vicious war. Nine million people were killed, with machetes. I stopped it,” he stated.
In June, the DR Congo signed a US-brokered agreement with Rwanda, which Kinshasa accuses of arming the rebels – a claim Kigali denies. Trump has said the pact, including calls for a joint security mechanism, gives Washington rights to local mineral wealth.
Meanwhile, Nigerian defense chief Christopher Musa told a continental security summit that opened on Monday that Africa’s complex security challenges require an African-led framework for stability.
