On Saturday, November 15th, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), commonly known as Congo, signed a peace framework agreement with the anti-government armed group known as the “M23 Movement” with the aim of ending the conflict in the eastern region of the country. This conflict has already resulted in the deaths of tens of thousands of people and displaced hundreds of thousands.
The signing ceremony between the representatives of both parties took place in Doha, the capital of Qatar. Qatar, the United States, and the African Union have been actively engaged in mediating efforts to bring an end to the decades-long conflict in the DRC, which has been a longstanding threat to regional stability.
With the support of neighboring Rwanda, the M23 armed group seized control of Goma, the largest city in the eastern DRC, in January of this year and subsequently expanded their control into North Kivu and South Kivu provinces. Rwanda has persistently denied supporting the M23 group.
Officials from the United States and Qatar have acknowledged that the framework agreement signed between the DRC and M23 on Saturday is a significant step towards peace, although many details still need to be worked out.
The U.S. Special Envoy to Africa, Massad Boulos, told Reuters that the framework agreement includes eight protocols, with mechanisms for implementing six of them still requiring further negotiation.
Boulos also admitted that progress has been slow in the implementation of the first two protocols reached in recent months, concerning the exchange of prisoners of war and monitoring the ceasefire.
“Yes, the initial weeks were a bit slow in progress. People may have expected to see immediate results, but this is a process… It’s not like flipping a switch that produces instant results,” he told the media after the representatives of the DRC and M23 signed the agreement.
Since April of this year, Qatar has facilitated multiple direct negotiations between the DRC government and M23, primarily focusing on preconditions and measures to build trust. In July, a fundamental declaration was reached between the two parties, yet many key issues underlying the conflict remain unresolved. In October, an agreement was reached on the supervision mechanism for a permanent ceasefire.
Qatari Foreign Minister Mohammed bin Abdulaziz Al-Khulaifi stated on Saturday that the agreement reached by the parties sets them on the path towards achieving peace. He emphasized, “Peace cannot be imposed by force but must be built on the foundations of trust, mutual respect, and sincere commitment.”
(Reference: Reports from Reuters)