Corneille Nangaa, the leader of the Congo River Alliance (AFC), during a press conference stated, “We are obliged to inform the Congolese people and the international community of the successive violations of the ceasefire, which are hindering the principal agreement.”
Missed deadlines in Doha Mediation
Under Qatari mediation, all parties signed a declaration of principles on July 19, promising to begin official discussions by August 8 and reach an agreement by August 18.
However, those deadlines passed with little progress, as seen on Reuters.
Neither delegation showed up in Doha, and M23 commander Bertrand Bisimwa said the organization had never received a formal invitation to join.
Despite these setbacks, a Qatari official relayed that mediators had sent a draft peace pact to both parties, indicating that negotiation is still alive.
“Both parties have responded positively to the facilitator and expressed a willingness to continue negotiations,” the official said, but no new deadline has been set.
Even as discussions stall, violence on the ground has been up and down.
Midway through August, Congo’s army accused the M23 of launching fresh attacks in breach of existing peace agreements, stressing that it had the right to respond to any further provocations.
On the flip side, rebels claimed that government soldiers and supported militias have undertaken operations in South Kivu, undermining the mediation process.
Peace efforts between the M23 rebels and Congo
A Joint Oversight Committee was established on July 31 as a result of an agreement to promote peace between Rwanda and the DRC that Washington mediated in April.
The committee was established to monitor adherence to the agreement mediated by the United States, specifically on allegations that Rwanda supports the M23, a claim Kigali has repeatedly refuted.
Félix Tshisekedi, the president of the Congo, has sought to put an end to the fighting in the region.
He attended a gathering of leaders from Eastern and Southern Africa in Tanzania in February to create a coordinated response to the violence.
This momentum continued throughout March, when Qatar held more negotiations, solidifying its position as the crisis’s primary mediator.
The current stalemate demonstrates the challenge of transforming diplomatic accords into genuine peace in one of Africa’s most turbulent regions.
The mineral richness of eastern Congo, including cobalt, coltan, and gold, makes it both a strategic value and a source of conflicts.
