Qatar said Sunday it has shared a draft peace agreement with both the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and the M23 rebel group, even as fighting intensifies in the country’s east. The announcement comes after Kinshasa and the Rwanda-backed rebels missed an August 18 deadline to finalize a deal. That timeline was set in a Declaration of Principles signed in Doha on July 19, which called for negotiations to begin by August 8 and a full accord by mid-August.
“We recognize the challenges on the ground and hope they can be overcome promptly through dialogue and genuine commitment,” said a Qatari official involved in the mediation. He added that while the deadline had lapsed, both sides have shown willingness to continue talks. Since resuming hostilities in late 2021, the M23 has seized large areas of North and South Kivu, displacing more than two million people since January, according to the United Nations. Earlier this year, the group captured the strategic cities of Goma and Bukavu, where it set up parallel administrations, escalating fears of partition.
On the battlefield, clashes have flared again since August 8, particularly near Mulamba, where frontlines had been stable for months. The Congolese army on Tuesday accused M23 fighters of launching multiple attacks on its positions, threatening the fragile truce. Despite the violence, Qatar says it is still hosting negotiations in Doha to push forward the roadmap and “finalize an agreement.” Neither Kinshasa nor the rebels have publicly commented on the draft deal. The conflict, which Kinshasa insists is fueled by neighboring Rwanda’s support for the M23, continues to deepen the humanitarian crisis in eastern Congo, already one of the world’s most unstable regions.
