DR Congo, M23 rebels begin Qatar-brokered peace talks in Doha

A new round of talks between the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Rwanda-backed M23 rebels is underway in Doha. The two parties are looking to reach agreement on how to implement a Qatari-brokered truce they signed last month.  

Despite that deal and an earlier one signed between Kinshasa and Kigali in Washington, fighting has continued in the DRC’s North and South Kivu provinces.  

This latest round of talks will focus on a draft proposal put forward by Qatar for a three-phase peace process. Qatar’s foreign ministry said it involves plans to create a mechanism for monitoring the truce as well as an exchange of prisoners.  

Ansari said the current discussions include plans to create a mechanism for monitoring the truce, as well as an exchange of prisoners and detainees. He added that the United States and the International Committee of the Red Cross were closely involved in supporting the talks. 

But Belgium’s foreign minister told reporters on Tuesday that the DRC’s President Felix Tshisekedi had already expressed his dissatisfaction with the text. 

The Congolese government and M23 accused each other of violating the ceasefire. 

The M23 rebel group is the most prominent armed group in the years-long conflict. Its major advance early this year into Goma left bodies on the streets.  

With 7 million people displaced in Congo, the United Nations has called it “one of the most protracted, complex, serious humanitarian crises on Earth.”