The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and the Rwanda-supported M23 rebels have agreed to suspend fighting as they work towards a truce to put an end to the conflict in the eastern part of the country. The warring parties announced the ceasefire agreement in a joint statement issued on Wednesday after a round of negotiations in Qatar’s capital, Doha.
This development could usher in an end to the decades-long conflict that has roots in the 1994 Rwandan genocide, with M23 made up primarily of ethnic Tutsi fighters.
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Qatar had mediated between the parties and pushed for a peace deal after the Gulf state successfully negotiated a surprise meeting between President Félix Tshisekedi of the DRC and President Paul Kagame of Rwanda last month.
“Both parties reaffirm their commitment to an immediate cessation of hostilities, a categorical rejection of any hate speech, intimidation, and call on local communities to uphold these commitments.”
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“The cessation of hostilities would apply throughout the duration of the talks and until their conclusion,” the joint statement read.
The long-running conflict worsened in January after M23 launched a major attack that killed more than 700 people and captured Goma and Bukavu—the two biggest cities in eastern Congo.
The Congolese government blamed Rwanda for the insecurity in the eastern part of the country. It accused Rwanda of supplying M23 rebels with weapons and soldiers to assert control over the country’s mineral-rich regions.
The country reiterated its claim that Rwanda is illegally occupying parts of its territory.
These allegations, coupled with the deaths of South African troops in other attacks, strained diplomatic ties between South Africa and Rwanda, escalating regional tensions.
However, recent developments have increased hopes that the fighting between the government and rebel groups will subside.
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However, there are concerns that the negotiations are progressing at an extremely slow pace.
According to Reuters, sources said that disagreements over potential confidence-building steps, like freeing DRC-held prisoners accused of ties to Rwanda and M23, nearly derailed the deal.
Qatar, however, was able to pressure both sides into issuing a joint statement to keep working toward a truce.
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