Democratic Republic of the Congo Signs Peace Agreement with M23 Rebel Movement - Jordan News
M23 was formed after the collapse of a peace agreement signed on March 23, 2009. Most of its fighters belong to the Tutsi ethnic group, the same group as Rwandan President Paul Kagame.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Jordan News
3 days ago
- Jordan News
Democratic Republic of the Congo Signs Peace Agreement with M23 Rebel Movement - Jordan News
On Saturday, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) signed a peace agreement with the M23 rebel movement, guaranteeing a ceasefire and an end to hostilities. اضافة اعلان The agreement was signed during a televised public ceremony held in Doha, the capital of Qatar, following the latest round of negotiations between the two sides. Since early July, Qatar has been mediating talks between a delegation from the Congolese government and representatives of the M23 movement. This is not the first time that Doha has hosted negotiations between the Congolese government and M23, or broader efforts aimed at achieving a ceasefire and ending the armed conflict in eastern Congo. In April 2025, representatives from Qatar, Togo, the United States, France, the DRC, and Rwanda convened in Doha to discuss efforts to address the situation in eastern DRC and the ongoing dialogue between the Congolese government and M23, according to Qatar News Agency (QNA). The March 23 Movement, also known as the "Congolese Revolutionary Army," is an armed rebel group active in the eastern regions of the DRC, particularly in North Kivu Province, which borders both Uganda and Rwanda. The United Nations and the DRC have accused Rwanda of supporting the M23 movement — an allegation Rwanda denies. M23 was formed after the collapse of a peace agreement signed on March 23, 2009. Most of its fighters belong to the Tutsi ethnic group, the same group as Rwandan President Paul Kagame.
Roya News
3 days ago
- Roya News
DRCongo, M23 armed group sign ceasefire deal in Qatar
The Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda-backed armed group M23 signed a ceasefire deal on Saturday to end fighting that has devastated the country's mineral-rich but conflict-torn east. The truce was agreed in a Declaration of Principles signed by the two sides after three months of talks in the Qatari capital, Doha, which follows a separate Congolese-Rwandan peace deal signed in Washington last month. "The Parties commit to uphold their commitment to a permanent ceasefire," including refraining from "hate propaganda" and "any attempt to seize by force new positions", a statement said. The African Union hailed it as a "significant development", adding: "This... marks a major milestone in the ongoing efforts to achieve lasting peace, security, and stability in eastern DRC and the wider Great Lakes region". The M23, which seized vast swathes of mineral-rich territory in eastern DRC in a lightning offensive in January and February, had insisted on seeking its own ceasefire deal with Kinshasa. It said the Washington deal left out various "problems" that still needed to be addressed. The warring parties agreed to open negotiations on a comprehensive peace agreement. The deal also includes a roadmap for restoring state authority in eastern DRC. Eastern DRC has been racked by conflict for more than three decades, creating a humanitarian crisis and forcing hundreds of thousands of people from their homes. Thousands were killed in the M23 offensive earlier this year, which saw the group capture the key provincial capitals of Goma and Bukavu. The front line had stabilised since February, but fighting was still breaking out regularly between the M23 and multiple pro-government militias.
Roya News
28-06-2025
- Roya News
Rwanda, DR Congo sign peace deal in US after rebel sweep
Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo signed a peace agreement Friday in Washington to end fighting that has killed thousands, with the two countries pledging to pull back support for guerrillas -- and President Donald Trump boasting of securing mineral wealth. "Today, the violence and destruction comes to an end, and the entire region begins a new chapter of hope and opportunity," Trump said as he welcomed the foreign ministers to the White House. "This is a wonderful day." The agreement comes after the M23, an ethnic Tutsi rebel force linked to Rwanda, sprinted across the mineral-rich east of the DRC earlier this year, seizing vast territory including the key city of Goma. The deal -- negotiated through Qatar since before Trump took office -- does not explicitly address the gains of the M23 in the area torn by decades of on-off war but calls for Rwanda to end "defensive measures" it has taken. Rwanda has denied directly supporting the M23 but has demanded an end to another armed group, the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR), which was established by ethnic Hutus linked to the massacres of Tutsis in the 1994 Rwanda genocide. The agreement calls for the "neutralization" of the FDLR, with Rwandan Foreign Minister Olivier Nduhungirehe saying the "irreversible and verifiable end to state support" to the Hutu militants should be the "first order of business." The process would be "accompanied by a lifting of Rwanda's defensive measures," Nduhungirehe said at a signing ceremony at the State Department. But he added: "We must acknowledge that there is a great deal of uncertainty in our region, and beyond, because many previous agreements have not been implemented." His Congolese counterpart, Therese Kayikwamba Wagner, highlighted the agreement's call for respecting state sovereignty. "It offers a rare chance to turn the page, not just with words but with real change on the ground. Some wounds will heal, but they will never fully disappear," she said. The agreement also sets up a joint security coordination body to monitor progress and calls vaguely for a "regional economic integration framework" within three months. Trump takes credit Trump has trumpeted the diplomacy that led to the deal, and started his White House event by bringing up a journalist who said he deserved the Nobel Peace Prize. Speaking to reporters earlier Friday, Trump said the United States will be able to secure "a lot of mineral rights from the Congo." The DRC has enormous mineral reserves that include lithium and cobalt, vital in electric vehicles and other advanced technologies, with US rival China now a key player in securing the resources. Trump, in an uncharacteristic expression of modesty, said he had been unfamiliar with the conflict as he appeared to allude to the horrors of the 1994 Rwanda genocide, in which hundreds of thousands of people, mostly Tutsis, were killed in just 100 days. "I'm a little out of my league on that one because I didn't know too much about it. I knew one thing -- they were going at it for many years with machetes," Trump said. The agreement drew wide but not universal praise. Bintu Keita, a senior UN official in the DRC, said it "marks a decisive step toward peace and stability," while Germany hailed the "excellent news" and called for implementation. French President Emmanual Macron also praised the "historic step forward," adding that "peace must hold." But Denis Mukwege, a gynecologist who shared the 2018 Nobel Peace Prize for his work to end the DRC's epidemic of sexual violence in war, voiced alarm about the agreement, saying it effectively benefited Rwanda and the United States. The deal "would amount to granting a reward for aggression, legitimizing the plundering of Congolese natural resources, and forcing the victim to alienate their national heritage by sacrificing justice in order to ensure a precarious and fragile peace," he said in a statement ahead of the signing.
