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EXPERT COMMENT

But Kinshasa will need significant peacebuilding and humanitarian support – and local communities must have some ownership of the process.

On 19 July, the government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) met with representatives of the M23 rebel group in Qatar to sign a declaration of principles, aimed at ending fighting in eastern DRC. The declaration outlines a framework for negotiations to start no later than 8 August, with a deadline for a finalized deal on 18 August. This is a significant step. For the first time, Kinshasa has agreed to formal talks with a group it previously labelled as a terrorist organization.

The declaration is a stepping stone following an earlier agreement reached in the US between leaders of the DRC and Rwanda – the ‘Washington Accord’. That US-brokered agreement stops short of explicitly naming Rwanda’s alleged support for M23 – something documented by UN experts but denied by Kigali. 

But it does commit both parties to halting hostilities, ending support for armed groups, and respecting sovereignty and territorial integrity. On June 20, hailing the agreement, President Donald Trump posted on Truth Social that ‘This is a Great Day for Africa and, quite frankly, a Great Day for the World!’

Click here to continue reading the full version of this Expert Comment on the Chatham House website.