
Hope for peace as DR Congo and M23 rebels sign peace deal in Qatar
Decades of conflict escalated earlier this year when M23 rebels seized control of large parts of the mineral-rich eastern DR Congo including the regional capital, Goma, the city of Bukavu and two airports.The UN says thousands of people have been killed and hundreds of thousands of civilians forced from their homes following since. The M23 disputes the figures, saying fewer than 1,000 people have died.DR Congo spokesperson Patrick Muyaya said the deal took the government's "red line" into account - including the "non-negotiable withdrawal" of the M23 from occupied areas. But in a video posted on X, M23 negotiator Benjamin Mbonimpa said the deal did not mention such a pull-out. It is the first direct accord between the two sides since the rebels launched their offensive at the turn of the year.Qatar said negotiations were set to continue. The African Union Commission called the declaration a "milestone" in lasting peace efforts and security in the region.The declaration also outlines a commitment to reinstating state authority in eastern DR Congo. This is the latest in a long line of failed peace deals in the region. One of the main players in today's conflict - the M23 rebels - emerged from a failed peace deal 16 years ago that never delivered on demobilisation.In March, DR Congo's President Félix Tshisekedi and his Rwandan counterpart Paul Kagame met in Qatar and both called for an immediate ceasefire.The following month, DR Congo and M23 group agreed to a ceasefire facilitated by Qatar, but fighting continued on the ground. The Washington deal, which came about in June, has been met with widespread criticism as a key incentive for the US' intervention is access to the DR Congo's vast mineral wealth. President Trump boasted of this feat. There has been talk of Tshisekedi and Rwanda's President Paul Kagame going to Washington to meet Trump together, though no date has been fixed.Additional reporting by Emery Makumeno
Go to BBCAfrica.com for more news from the African continent.Follow us on Twitter @BBCAfrica, on Facebook at BBC Africa or on Instagram at bbcafrica
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Reuters
23 minutes ago
- Reuters
US, EU trade talks bolstered by Trump's agreement with Japan
BRUSSELS/WASHINGTON, July 23 (Reuters) - The European Union and the U.S. are moving toward a trade deal that could include a 15% U.S. baseline tariff on EU goods and possible exemptions, two European diplomats said on Wednesday, potentially moving President Donald Trump closer to another major trade agreement on the heels of the one he just unveiled with Japan. European negotiators were hoping to reach an agreement to dodge the 30% tariff rate Trump has said he would impose on imports from the 27-nation bloc on August 1. The rate, which could also extend to cars, would mirror the framework agreement the U.S. has struck with Japan, which Trump announced late on Tuesday. There could be concessions for sectors like aircraft and lumber as well as some medicines and agricultural products, which would not face tariffs, the diplomats said. Washington does not, however, appear willing to lower its current 50% tariff on steel, they said. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Trump trade adviser Peter Navarro told Bloomberg News the report from the EU should be taken with "a grain of salt." As talks continued, the European Commission said it would press on with potential counter-measures in case a deal was not reached. EU member states were set to vote on 93 billion euros of counter-tariffs on U.S. goods on Thursday, European diplomats said. A broad majority of members support using anti-coercion instruments if there is no deal, they said. Trump was aiming to secure an agreement on the heels of a complicated deal reached with Japan, the largest foreign investor in the U.S. That deal included a $550 investment and loan pledges from Japan and its commitment to buy 100 Boeing airplanes and boost purchases of U.S. agricultural products. That investment - to be spent at Trump's discretion - would focus on key industries like energy, semiconductors, critical minerals, pharmaceuticals and shipbuilding, the White House said on Wednesday. Tariffs on Japan's auto sector will drop from 27.5% to 15% as part of the agreement, reviving hopes for similar treatment for European cars. Asian and European stock markets rallied as investors cheered the U.S.-Japan agreement, but U.S. stocks showed a more modest rise and earnings reports were gloomy. American businesses making everything from chips to steel reported downbeat results on Wednesday, revealing how the Trump administration's chaotic trade policy has hurt profits, added to costs, upended supply chains and weighed on consumer confidence. U.S. automakers signaled their unhappiness with the Japan deal, raising concerns about a trade regime that cuts tariffs on Japanese auto imports while leaving 25% tariffs on imports from their plants and suppliers in Canada and Mexico. "Any deal that charges a lower tariff for Japanese imports with virtually no U.S. content than the tariff imposed on North American-built vehicles with high U.S. content is a bad deal for U.S. industry and U.S. auto workers," said Matt Blunt, the president of the American Automotive Policy Council, which represents General Motors (GM.N), opens new tab, Ford (F.N), opens new tab and Chrysler parent Stellantis ( opens new tab. Automobile stocks led the climb of European shares after the Japan deal spurred hopes that the U.S. was budging over tariffs on EU cars. EU officials have previously said Washington has shown little sign of doing so. U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said in an interview with Bloomberg Television that Japan received the 15% rate on auto tariffs "because they were willing to provide this innovative financing mechanism" that he did not think other countries could replicate. Trump, however, has appeared open to a range of options as the U.S. negotiates trade deals. "I will only lower tariffs if a country agrees to open its market," Trump wrote in a social media post on Wednesday. The Republican president said late on Tuesday that other countries would be coming to Washington for talks this week. Governments were scrambling to close trade deals before next week's deadline that the White House has repeatedly pushed back under pressure from markets and intense lobbying by industry. U.S. and Chinese officials plan to meet in Stockholm next week to discuss extending an August 12 deadline for negotiating a trade deal. White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt on Wednesday would not discuss expectations for the meeting, but said Bessent "looks forward to continuing discussions with his Chinese counterparts."


Sky News
an hour ago
- Sky News
Trump latest: US-EU 'closing in' on tariff deal; after Washington strikes Japan agreement
The US and the EU are closing in on a tariffs deal, according to reports. Meanwhile, the US has signed what Trump calls "perhaps the largest deal ever made" with Japan. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt is due to speak at 6pm. Follow live below.


Reuters
2 hours ago
- Reuters
New Ghana mining laws to shorten licence periods, boost community investment
ACCRA, July 23 (Reuters) - Ghana plans to shorten mining licence durations and mandate direct revenue-sharing with local communities in its most sweeping mining law reforms in nearly two decades, details of which were announced by a government minister on Wednesday. The planned overhaul reflects a broader trend across West Africa, where governments are rewriting mining codes to capture more value from rising commodity prices. Ghanaian Lands and Natural Resources Minister Emmanuel Armah Kofi Buah said the changes, which include scrapping automatic renewal of some licences - will apply only to future contracts, a departure from the stance in Mali and Burkina Faso where military-led governments have applied reforms retroactively, 'In Ghana, we don't do retrospective laws,' Buah said at a presentation in the capital, Accra. 'Existing agreements are sanctified and will be respected.' He added that the overhaul of the Minerals and Mining Act and mining policy was 85% complete following extensive stakeholder consultations. Ghana, Africa's top gold producer, expects output to rise to 5.1 million ounces this year. Major miners in the country include Newmont (NEM.N), opens new tab, Gold Fields (GFIJ.J), opens new tab, AngloGold Ashanti (AU.N), opens new tab, Zijin ( opens new tab, Asante Gold ( opens new tab, and Perseus ( opens new tab. It also exports bauxite and manganese with plans to start lithium production. Under the proposed law changes, prospecting licences would no longer be held indefinitely, and the maximum term for mining leases would be reduced from 30 years to a shorter period agreed by the government and firms. Companies failing to meet environmental, social or production obligations would lose the right to automatic licence renewal. In a major shift, the government plans to abolish development agreements, in which companies send money to the central government. Instead, companies will be required to sign agreements committing a fixed percentage of gross mineral sales revenue to fund local development projects as the government seeks to address long-standing grievances from communities that they have seen little benefit from mining operations. The reforms also propose a three-tier mineral rights regime, introducing a new medium-scale licence category to bridge the gap between large multinational operators and small-scale artisanal miners. Another key change under consideration is the reduction or abolition of stability agreements, which currently offer up to 15 years of tax and regulatory protection to large investors. Future agreements would be limited to capital recovery periods for major investments.