Brazzaville: The Democratic Republic of Congo and the Rwanda-backed rebel group M23 have signed a ceasefire agreement aimed at ending hostilities that have severely impacted the mineral-rich eastern region of the country.
According to Nam News Network, the ceasefire was formalized in a Declaration of Principles signed after three months of negotiations held in Doha. This agreement follows a prior Congolese-Rwandan peace accord established in Washington last month. The ceasefire terms require both parties to commit to a permanent cessation of hostilities and to avoid hate propaganda and attempts to seize new positions by force. The agreement also outlines the initiation of negotiations for a comprehensive peace settlement.
The deal, which aligns with the earlier Washington agreement, incorporates a strategy for re-establishing state governance in eastern DRC. Patrick Muyaya, a spokesperson for the Congolese government, mentioned that the agreement respects the DRC’s key conditions, including the obligatory withdrawal of M23 from occupied territories and subsequent deployment of national institutions, including the armed forces. He indicated that a comprehensive peace agreement is expected to follow soon.
As per the deal, the parties agreed to implement its provisions by July 29 and to commence direct negotiations for a permanent agreement by August 8. Future meetings between Rwandan President Paul Kagame and Congolese President Felix Tshisekedi are anticipated to reinforce the Washington peace accord, which remains unimplemented.
While previous ceasefire agreements in eastern DRC have failed, the current deal aims to address long-standing issues. Despite Rwanda’s denial of military support to M23, UN experts have reported that the Rwandan army played a significant role in the group’s recent offensive, including participating in combat operations.
Eastern DRC, abundant in valuable minerals, has endured conflict for over three decades, resulting in a humanitarian crisis and displacing hundreds of thousands. The M23’s recent offensive earlier this year led to the capture of key provincial capitals Goma and Bukavu and resulted in the deaths of thousands. Although the front line has stabilized since February, skirmishes between M23 and pro-government militias continue to occur.