The Democratic Republic of Congo government and M23 rebels have missed a deadline to reach a peace agreement in Doha, raising fears that tensions between the two parties might derail talks and reverse progress made to end the conflict.
Fighting in Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo has intensified this year, with the M23 rebel group launching an offensive that allowed it to capture the two largest citiesvof Goma and Bukavu in the region.
Under a mediation effort hosted by Qatar, the Democratic Republic of Congo government and the M23 rebels signed a declaration of principles on July 19th 202 in which they vowed to start negotiating a deal no later than August 8 with the goal of reaching it by August 18th 2025.
The AFC/M23 rebel Movement said in a statement that the full implementation of the declaration of principles, which includes the release of prisoners, would enable the next round of talks to proceed.
A senior AFC rebel source said that while rebels didn’t expect significant progress from the talks, they would send a small delegation in the coming days due to Qatar’s pressure as negotiators.
“Our delegation will simply reinforce the need to implement these measures before we can engage in negotiations,” the anonymous source said.
A governmental source said authorities had received a draft agreement from the mediation team, and both parties are working on their comments before delegates return to Doha later this week.
The source added that the release of prisoners is a complicated prerequisite because it can be a subject of negotiations rather than a condition to continue talks.
A Qatari official told journalists that while the timeline put in the declaration of principles had not been met, both parties expressed a willingness to continue negotiations.
Meanwhile the Islamic State-backed rebels armed with machetes and hoes have killed at least 52 civilians in the Beni and Lubero areas of Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo in recent days.
The UN and local officials have confirmed that the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) rebels were taking revenge on civilians after suffering defeats by Congolese forces.
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The Regional Congolese Army spokesperson, Lt Elongo Kyondwa Marc said that when the rebels arrived, they first woke the residents, gathered them in one place, tied them up with ropes, and then began to massacre them with machetes and hoes and the Chief of Lubero’s Bapere sector, Macaire Sivikunula, told journalists that bout 30 civilians were killed in the village of Melia alone.
A military administrator for the Lubero territory Alain Kiwewe told journalists that among the victims were children and women whose throats were slit in their homes, while several houses were set on fire.
The United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO) has since condemned the attack and killings in the strongest possible terms.
The Mission’s spokesperson said that thee attacks killed at least 52 civilians, including eight women and two children, and the toll could rise as the search is ongoing.
The ADF is among several militias wrangling over land and resources in Congo’s mineral-rich Eastern Region and the Democratic Republic of Congo Army and its ally, the Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) have intensified operations against the ADF rebels in recent weeks after the ADF rebels killed 38 people in an attack on a church in Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo in July.
Additional Reporting from Associated Press
