Particle.news
Download on the App Store
5 ARTICLES
·
last wk.

Congo and M23 Sign Doha Deal to Launch Ceasefire Monitoring Body

The Qatar-brokered accord creates a joint body with regional and international oversight to verify alleged ceasefire violations.

FILE - People walk on the road near Kibumba, north of Goma, Democratic Republic of Congo, as they flee fighting between Congolese forces and M23 rebels in North Kivu, May 24, 2022. (AP Photo/Moses Sawasawa, file)
An M23 rebel walks on the outskirts of Matanda which is controlled by M23 rebels, in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, March 22, 2025. REUTERS/Zohra Bensemra/File Photo

Overview

  • The mechanism brings together representatives from Congo, M23 and the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region, with MONUSCO participating to provide logistical coordination.
  • Observers from Qatar, the African Union and the United States will take part, according to the agreement published by officials and shared by M23.
  • The body is mandated to investigate reported ceasefire breaches and is expected to convene within seven days of its creation.
  • The monitoring deal is one of two prerequisites set for broader peace talks, alongside a prisoner-of-war exchange agreed in September that has not yet been carried out.
  • Despite the step, the UN special envoy says the ceasefire remains widely ignored, fighting persists in eastern Congo and displacement has reached millions.