The presidents of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Rwanda have reaffirmed their commitment to an immediate ceasefire during peace talks held in Qatar. However, a joint statement released after the meeting did not detail the mechanisms for implementing or monitoring the ceasefire.
DR Congo’s President Felix Tshisekedi met with his Rwandan counterpart, Paul Kagame, on Tuesday to address the ongoing insurgency in eastern DRC, a region abundant in minerals. This meeting, mediated by Qatar, was the first occasion the leaders have convened since the conflict escalated in January, when Rwanda-backed M23 rebels captured two major cities.
Both nations reiterated their commitment to an immediate and unconditional ceasefire. Despite this agreement, the statement lacked specifics on how the ceasefire would be enforced. Prior to January, there had been attempts to initiate peace negotiations, but a planned meeting in December was cancelled unexpectedly. Rwanda had conditioned the signing of any agreement on direct dialogue between the rebels and the DRC government, which was rejected by the latter.
The discussions come as DR Congo’s government is preparing to meet with M23 leaders in Angola for separate ceasefire negotiations. However, the rebels withdrew from these discussions shortly after the European Union imposed sanctions on their leaders on Monday.
M23 is one of nearly 100 armed groups operating in eastern DR Congo. The ongoing conflict has led to one of the world’s most severe humanitarian crises, displacing over 7 million people.
Source : euronews
