‘30여년 내전’ 민주콩고·반군, 평화 협상 로드맵 합의

After nearly three decades of civil war, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and the M23 rebel group have agreed upon a roadmap for future peace negotiations. This progress comes nine months after they signed a basic agreement in Doha, Qatar, in November last year. According to Al Jazeera, on November 23, the DRC government and M23-led rebel coalition jointly released a statement outlining a step-by-step action plan and timeline for the upcoming negotiations, while committing to utilize flexibility and creativity within the existing framework.

They reaffirmed their commitment to honor the basic agreement and continue negotiations aimed at resolving the conflict and achieving comprehensive peace. The parties previously agreed to the cessation of hostilities in Doha in July last year, and last November, they established eight negotiation topics, including the verification of the cease-fire, prisoner exchange, and refugee resettlement.

The new agreement now specifies the order and timeline for discussing these topics. The statement also noted the importance of establishing a standardized method for reporting allegations of cease-fire violations and creating a mechanism to address issues that arise during the implementation process. The first cease-fire verification is scheduled for Mbuji-Mayi, a city in the DRC's eastern province of South Kivu, on November 24.

The delegations of both sides had been conducting secret negotiations in Switzerland from November 17 to 21. The negotiations were hosted by the Swiss government, with the United States, Qatar, the African Union Executive Council, and Togo serving as mediators at the negotiation table. Earlier in the month, the DRC had also facilitated the repatriation of 15 M23 prisoners to M23 custody under the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) mediation.

However, fighting has continued during the negotiations, and it remains unclear whether the ongoing clashes will cease with this agreement. The M23 spokesperson, Laurent Kanjanga, reported on November 22 that government forces and the allied union of militias had carried out a drone attack on residential areas in Mbuji-Mayi, resulting in civilian casualties and significant damage to civilian infrastructure.

The DRC and the M23 have been clashing since the 1994 Rwanda genocide, with some Tutsi rebels fleeing to the DRC after participating in the genocide and setting up the M23 rebel group. The M23 seized control of Goma, the second-largest city in the DRC, in 2012. The conflict has displaced an estimated 5.3 million people. The DRC blames Rwanda for supporting the M23, while Rwanda and the M23 deny these allegations.