Mission to verify DRC-M23 ceasefire gets underway in South Kivu

A mission to verify the ceasefire between the Congolese army and Rwanda-backed M23 rebels got underway on Monday in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo.

On Sunday, Switzerland announced that, following negotiations, the two parties had agreed on a roadmap for peace.

Eastern Congo has seen decades of conflict as multiple armed groups fight over its mineral-rich territory.

Peace efforts led by the United States and Qatar tried to end the crisis, with the signing of two accords - one between Kinshasa and the M23 in July 2025, the other between Kinshasa and Rwanda in December.

But fighting has continued.

The mechanism for verfiying ceasefire violations includes representatives of the Congolese government and M23, as well as observers from member countries of the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region (ICGLR).

The team departed by United Nations helicopters on Monday to Minembwe in South Kivu province, which has seen intense clashes in recent months, according to UN and government sources.

The mission will travel to town of Uvira, from where the M23 withdrew in January, as well as to Kalehe, where fighting has been reported in recent weeks.

Neither the DRC nor the M23 have commented on the mission.

Alleged abuses

Several international mediation efforts have failed to silence the guns in the eastern DRC, where a myriad of armed groups are active.

In April, the DRC and M23 agreed to facilitate humanitarian aid and release prisoners following talks in Switzerland.

An initial group of prisoners was handed over to the M23 by the Congolese government earlier this month.

New talks were held behind closed doors from August 17 to August 21 which included representatives from the United States, Qatar, Switzerland, the African Union Commission and Togo, serving as African Union mediator.

The two sides said they had "agreed on the importance of a standardised method for reporting allegations of ceasefire violations," according to the Swiss government statement on Sunday.

They also agreed to establish a "mechanism tasked with reviewing progress and addressing challenges in implementation of obligations and commitments under the Doha Framework Agreement," the statement said.

The DRC in a statement on Monday condemned alleged "crimes and serious human rights violations" committed by the M23 in the territories under its control and accused the group of killing "more than 300 people" in June and July.

Meanwhile, in a post on social media, an M23 spokesperson accused government forces of having launched a "deadly attack" with artillery on a village near Minembwe.

Both sides have regularly accused the other of alleged abuses and ceasefire violations, often unverifiable by independent parties.

The area surrounding Minembwe, which has been fiercely contested for months, has been particularly difficult for international organisations to access.

Reports by NGOs and UN experts have said the M23 has also silenced dissenting voices, including journalists and human rights activists in areas under its control.