The Qatar Ministry of Foreign Affairs has announced that the Armed Forces Coalition (AFC\/M23) and the Government of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) are preparing to adopt new principles paving the way for a phased peace agreement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The signing of these principles is expected to take place next week in Doha, Qatar, following nearly a month of negotiations between delegates from both sides.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Qatar recently presented a new draft peace accord to the two parties, but several contentious issues remain unresolvedmost notably, the future control of territories currently under M23\u2019s administration in North and South Kivu Provinces.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The AFC\/M23 has insisted on retaining control of these areas, arguing that its forces can better guarantee security there than the national army. The Congolese government, however, maintains that the constitution grants it exclusive authority over all national territory and that no parallel force can be allowed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Despite the truce-monitoring mechanism established under an October 14 agreement, both sides continue to accuse each other of violations and renewed hostilities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The AFC\/M23 claims that DRC forces have launched airstrikes using drones and heavy artillery against its positions, while Kinshasa defends its operations as legitimate acts of self-defense, saying \u201cthe battlefield is not a church where one turns the other cheek.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Both parties have agreed to release detainees and have notified the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) to assist in verifying their locations and overseeing exchanges. However, several detainees remain unaccounted for.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The rebel coalition reminded mediators that it had already released more than 1,300 Congolese soldiers captured in previous battles, while accusing the government of failing to free over 700 of its own members.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Qatar had initially hoped the final peace deal between Kinshasa and the AFC\/M23 would be signed in early August 2025, but progress stalled due to persistent disagreements.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Statements from both sides suggest cautious optimism yet also acknowledge that significant obstacles remain before a lasting peace can be achieved in eastern Congo.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Author: Justinmind HARERIMANA<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The Qatar Ministry of Foreign Affairs has announced that the Armed Forces Coalition (AFC\/M23) and the Government of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) are preparing to adopt new principles paving the way for a phased peace agreement. The signing of these principles is expected to take place next week in Doha, Qatar, following nearly […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1643,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[14],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1642","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t