Congo, M23 rebels agree to peace roadmap

Following several days of talks in Geneva, Switzerland, the governing body of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and the Rwanda-allied rebel faction M23 have jointly unveiled a peace plan aimed at bringing stability to the DRC after a long period of violent conflict. The United States State Department, along with the African Union (AU), Switzerland, and Qatar, mediated the discussions and announced the agreement on Saturday evening.

The US State Department announced that the deal builds upon an agreement signed in Doha, Qatar, last November, and outlined a series of steps and deadlines for further negotiations under the Doha Framework Agreement. Although a ceasefire has been in effect since November 15, progress towards peace has been slow, despite prisoner exchanges.

The newly agreed roadmap explicitly states that an observer mission to monitor the ceasefire will receive support from UN MONUSCO peacekeeping forces, and further negotiations to achieve lasting peace will be held soon. Since early 2022, hundreds of civilians have been killed and millions displaced due to clashes between the two parties, as M23 has sought control over Congo's resource-rich eastern region, including gold, cassiterite, coltan, and diamonds.

M23, accused of committing horrendous wartime atrocities, has maintained control over significant portions of North and South Kivu provinces since 2025.

Both sides expressed gratitude to mediators for their unwavering support in advancing peace and stability in eastern DRC and the wider Great Lakes region, according to the State Department statement released on Saturday.