DRC, M23 rebels sign ceasefire deal
Under the deal, the warring parties agreed to open negotiations on a comprehensive peace agreement. The deal, which the two sides said aligns with the Washington agreement, also includes a roadmap for restoring state authority in eastern DRC. "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," said the agreement.
The deal said the two sides had agreed to implement its terms by July 29 at the latest, and to start direct negotiations toward a permanent agreement by August 8.
Backed by neighboring Rwanda, the M23 is the most prominent of more than 100 armed groups fighting for control in Congo's mineral-rich east. With 7 million people displaced in Congo, the UN has called the conflict in eastern Congo 'one of the most protracted, complex, serious humanitarian crises on Earth.'
It was not immediately clear what the specific terms of a final peace agreement would be and what concessions would be made. M23 had been pushing for the release of its members held by Congo's army, many of them facing the death sentence. Congo had requested the withdrawal of the rebels from seized territories.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The National
an hour ago
- The National
Five waiting for aid among 22 Palestinians killed in Gaza
At least 22 Palestinians killed in Israeli attacks in Gaza on Monday Israeli evacuation order in central Gaza 'devastating' to aid efforts, says UN Israeli army says it struck Houthi targets in Yemen's Hodeidah port Hamas considering quitting ceasefire talks unless 'deal reached by end of week' At least 58,895 Palestinians killed and 140,980 wounded since Gaza war began
Dubai Eye
2 hours ago
- Dubai Eye
Iran to hold nuclear talks with European powers on Friday
Iran, Britain, France and Germany will hold nuclear talks in Istanbul on Friday, an Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson said early on Monday. The talks scheduled for Friday come after foreign ministers of the three nations as well as the European Union's foreign policy chief, held their first call on Thursday with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi since Israel and the US attacked Iranian nuclear facilities a month ago. The three European countries, along with China and Russia, are the remaining parties to a 2015 nuclear deal reached with Iran - from which the US withdrew in 2018 - that lifted sanctions on the Middle Eastern country in return for restrictions on its nuclear programme. They have said they would restore UN sanctions on Tehran via the "snapback mechanism" by the end of August if nuclear talks that were ongoing between Iran and the US before the Israel-Iran air war do not resume or fail to produce concrete results. "If EU/E3 want to have a role, they should act responsibly, and put aside the worn-out policies of threat and pressure, including the 'snap-back' for which they lack absolutely [any] moral and legal ground," Araqchi said earlier in the week. The snapback mechanism can be used to restore UN sanctions before the UN Security Council resolution enshrining the deal expires on October 18. Prior to the Israel-Iran war, Tehran and Washington held five rounds of nuclear talks mediated by Oman but faced major stumbling blocks such as uranium enrichment in Iran, which Western powers want to bring down to zero to minimise any risk of weaponisation.
Dubai Eye
2 hours ago
- Dubai Eye
Israeli fire kills 67 people seeking aid in Gaza, medics say
At least 67 Palestinians were killed by Israeli fire on Sunday as they waited for UN aid trucks, Gaza's health ministry said, as Israel issued new evacuation orders for areas packed with displaced people. The ministry said dozens of people were also wounded in the incident in northern Gaza. It was one of the highest reported death tolls among repeated recent cases in which aid seekers have been killed, including 36 on Saturday. Another six people were killed near another aid site in the south, it said. Israel's military said its troops had fired warning shots towards a crowd of thousands of people in northern Gaza on Sunday to remove what it said was "an immediate threat". It said initial findings suggested reported casualty figures were inflated and it "certainly does not intentionally target humanitarian aid trucks". It did not immediately comment on the incident in the south. The UN World Food Programme (WFP) said that shortly after entering Gaza, a WFP convoy of 25 trucks carrying food aid encountered "massive crowds of hungry civilians" who then came under gunfire. "WFP reiterates that any violence involving civilians seeking humanitarian aid is completely unacceptable," it said in a statement. A Hamas official told Reuters that the group was angered over the mounting deaths and the hunger crisis in the enclave and that this could badly affect ceasefire talks underway in Qatar. In total, health authorities said 90 people had been killed by Israeli gunfire and airstrikes across the enclave on Sunday. After Israel's military dropped leaflets urging people to evacuate from neighbourhoods in central Gaza's Deir al-Balah, residents said Israeli planes struck three houses in the area. Dozens of families began leaving their homes, carrying some of their belongings. Hundreds of thousands of displaced Gazans have been sheltering in the Deir al-Balah area. Israel's military said it had not entered the districts subject to the evacuation order during the current conflict and that it was continuing "to operate with great force to destroy the enemy's capabilities and terrorist infrastructure in the area". Israeli sources have said the reason the army has so far stayed out is because they suspect Hamas might be holding hostages there. At least 20 of the remaining 50 hostages in captivity in Gaza are believed to still be alive. Hostage families demanded an explanation from the army. "Can anyone (promise) to us that this decision will not come at the cost of losing our loved ones?" the families said in a statement. Much of Gaza has been reduced to a wasteland during more than 21 months of war and there are fears of accelerating starvation. Palestinian health officials said hundreds of people could soon die as hospitals were inundated with patients suffering from dizziness and exhaustion due to the scarcity of food and a collapse in aid deliveries. "We warn that hundreds of people whose bodies have wasted away are at risk of imminent death due to hunger," said Gaza's health ministry. The United Nations also said on Sunday that civilians were starving and needed an urgent influx of aid. Pope Leo called for an end to the "barbarity of war" as he spoke of his profound pain over an Israeli strike on the sole Catholic church in Gaza that killed three people on Thursday. Gaza residents said it was becoming impossible to find essential food such as flour. The health ministry said at least 71 children had died of malnutrition during the war, and 60,000 others were suffering from symptoms of malnutrition. Later on Sunday, it said 18 people have died of hunger in the past 24 hours. Food prices have increased well beyond what most of the population of more than two million can afford. Several people who spoke to Reuters via chat apps said they either had one meal or no meal in the past 24 hours. "As a father, I wake up in the early morning to look for food, for even a loaf of bread for my five children, but all in vain," said Ziad, a nurse. "People who didn't die of bombs will die of hunger. We want an end to this war now, a truce, even for two months," he told Reuters. Others said they felt dizzy walking in the streets and that many fainted as they walked. Fathers leave tents to avoid questions by their children about what to eat. UNRWA, the UN refugee agency dedicated to Palestinians, demanded Israel allow more aid trucks into Gaza, saying it had enough food for the entire population for over three months which was not allowed in. Israel's military said that it "views the transfer of humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip as a matter of utmost importance and works to enable and facilitate its entry in coordination with the international community". Some Palestinians suggested the move on Deir al-Balah might be an attempt to put pressure on Hamas to make more concessions in long-running ceasefire negotiations. Israel and Hamas are engaged in indirect talks in Doha aimed at reaching a 60-day truce and hostage deal, although there has been no sign of breakthrough. The war on Gaza was triggered in October 2023, when Hamas fighters attacked Israel, killing 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages, according to Israeli tallies. Israel's subsequent military assault on Gaza has killed nearly 55,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza's health ministry, while displacing nearly the entire population of 2.3 million and causing a hunger crisis.
