An M23 soldier on patrol
HABARI DAILY I Kampala, Uganda I With the ultimate goal of creating a structured pathway toward de-escalation, dialogue and recovery in one of Africa’s most volatile regions, representatives from the government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and the Rwandan-backed M23 rebel group have signed a peace deal.
Penned in Qatar on Saturday, the two parties said that with a goal of putting an end to years of fighting.
The Doha Framework serves as the reference document for the upcoming technical work, which will include drafting operational protocols, defining troop disengagement timelines and establishing mechanisms for humanitarian corridors and reintegration efforts.
The agreement has been hailed a a tangible roadmap to stop the deadly fighting and improve the dire humanitarian situation in the Central African nation.
Rwanda’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement calling the Doha Framework “an important step” toward addressing the underlying causes of the conflict.
It acknowledged Qatar’s mediation efforts and noted the involvement of the United States and the African Union.
Qatar’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs on the other hand, said the agreement builds on the Doha Declaration of Principles signed in July.
Qatari officials added that Doha will continue supporting the parties as they move into the next phase of ceasefire verification, disengagement arrangements and humanitarian access.
The two sides have been holding mediated talks for months, and signed a truce deal in July that must still be subjected to more negotiations over exactly how it will be implemented.
The M23 insurgency is one of the most persistent armed confrontations in eastern DRC. The group first emerged in 2012, made up largely of former Congolese soldiers who mutinied over grievances related to the 2009 peace agreement.
Despite being militarily defeated in 2013, the movement resurfaced with renewed strength in late 2021, seizing strategic territory in North Kivu and displacing hundreds of thousands of civilians.
The conflict has strained relations between DRC and Rwanda, with Kinshasa accusing Kigali of supporting the rebels—allegations Rwanda denies.
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