DR Congo and M23 remain engaged in Doha peace talks, Says Qatar

Tuesday 19 August 2025 - 16:55

By: Sahili Aya

DR Congo and M23 remain engaged in Doha peace talks, Says Qatar

The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and the M23 armed group continue to participate actively in ongoing peace talks in Doha, Qatar, despite missing the deadline to finalize a comprehensive peace agreement, Qatari mediators said Tuesday.

“The two parties are engaged positively, and we are working closely with them as well… We remain committed to the process,” said Majed al-Ansari, spokesperson for the Qatari Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

After three months of negotiations, the DRC government and M23 signed a ceasefire agreement in July, marking a step forward toward ending the decades-long conflict in eastern Congo, a mineral-rich region plagued by violence.

The agreement, signed on July 19, established a “permanent ceasefire” and set deadlines for formal negotiations aimed at a broader peace accord. While the original deadline for signing the full agreement passed on August 18, the Qatari mediation emphasized that timelines are secondary to maintaining progress in dialogue.

M23, which captured key towns during a January–February offensive, sought to negotiate its own ceasefire separately from the July Washington agreement between Kinshasa and Kigali. Despite repeated ceasefire violations in previous years, both sides continue to discuss terms, and a draft peace agreement has reportedly been shared ahead of upcoming talks.

While Rwanda denies supporting M23 militarily, UN experts assert that the Rwandan army played a critical role in M23 operations during the late 2024 offensive in eastern DRC.