Overview

• The Declaration of Principles obliges the Democratic Republic of Congo and M23 to uphold a permanent ceasefire and refrain from hate propaganda or new offensives
• The agreement sets direct negotiations to start on August 8 and requires a final peace accord by August 18 in alignment with last month’s Washington framework
• Key provisions cover prisoner exchanges and the restoration of state authority in territories held by M23, though implementation modalities remain unsettled
• Kinshasa demands a non-negotiable withdrawal of M23 from cities such as Goma while rebels reject immediate pullback orders, highlighting deep trust deficits
• Qatar jointly mediated the Doha talks alongside US facilitators and the accord is backed by the United Nations and African Union as part of multilateral peace efforts