Overview

• The DR Congo government and M23 rebels issued a joint statement agreeing to work toward a truce and an immediate cessation of hostilities.
• Peace talks in Qatar stalled over M23's demands for the release of hundreds of prisoners, which the Congolese government refused.
• Both delegations have left Doha with no immediate plans to return, raising concerns about the future of negotiations.
• Fighting has resumed in Walikale, a strategic mining hub, despite the joint pledge to end hostilities.
• The conflict has displaced over 7 million people and escalated since January, with M23 seizing key cities like Goma and Bukavu.