The Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Rwandan-backed M23 rebels jointly pledged to halt fighting in the country’s east while working towards a permanent ceasefire. The surprise announcement follows Doha’s latest talk, mediated by Qatar.
Each side individually released the same statement on Wednesday after their delegation left Qatar after more than a week of discussion.
Reading Dr. Congo National Television, he said it was released by M23 Spokeperson.
It described their speech as “frank and constructive,” saying that “stop hostilities” would apply “during the period of consultation and until their conclusions.”
It was unclear whether or when another round of talks would take place.
The text has been prepared since April 17th and has been awaiting approval from Congolese President Felix Zisekedi. He gave the green lights Wednesday evening, reported an RFI correspondent in Kinshasa.
“Corrective Steps” to End Violence
The M23 has made unprecedented progress since January, seizing Goma and Bukavu, two of the largest cities of eastern Congo, killing thousands and causing the fear of wider regional conflict.
Since 2021, more than six trances and ceasefires have been agreed to and collapsed once again.
“This is an important step to end violence,” Belgian Foreign Minister Maxime Prevot said in a social media post. Rwanda is a former Belgian colony.
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Qatar’s latest promotion of peace comes after the Gulf state successfully brokered a surprising meeting between Tsushisekedi and his Rwandan counterpart, Paul Kagame last month. Both leaders called for a ceasefire after the meeting.
Tshisekedi and Kagame will be held in Qatar to discuss crisis talks about the Eastern DRC
This session appears to have paved the way for direct consultations between the Congo and the M23. Congo had long met with the M23 and rejected the idea of branding it into a terrorist group.
Rwanda denied supporting the M23, saying its forces were acting in self-defense against the Congolese military and ethnic Mirichiamen, linked to the 1994 Rwandan genocide, killing around a million people, mostly ethnic Tutsi.
Rwanda Marks The DRC’s tension amid tensions over the 1994 M23 rebellion
The UN and the Western government say Rwanda supports rebels by sending troops and arms. Last week, US envoys called on Rwanda to withdraw from Dr. Congo’s territory.
The M23 retreated from the Congolese territory of Walikale, a strategic mining hub earlier this month. It described the move as a good-willed gesture ahead of planned peace talks with the government.
However, on Wednesday, a UN source told Reuters that the fight in the town of Warikal has resumed.
(with newswire)
