DRC and M23 rebels sign Doha Peace Framework in bid to end conflict
Qatar's chief negotiator, Mohammed Al-Khulaifi, hailed the deal as "historic," while cautioning that lasting peace would require "confidence, mutual respect and sincere commitment."
The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and the M23 rebel group have signed a new framework agreement in Qatar, marking the most substantial attempt yet to halt nearly three years of conflict in eastern Congo.
The Doha Framework for a Comprehensive Peace Agreement was signed in the presence of Qatari mediators and US diplomats, who have increasingly taken on a facilitation role as the crisis threatens to destabilise the wider Great Lakes region.
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Qatar's chief negotiator, Mohammed Al-Khulaifi, hailed the deal as "historic," while cautioning that lasting peace would require "confidence, mutual respect and sincere commitment."
Washington's regional envoy, Massad Boulos, told Reuters the accord contains eight protocols, though only two — prisoner exchanges and ceasefire monitoring — are partially underway. Implementation of the remaining six remains stalled.
"People were expecting immediate results on the ground, but this is a process," Boulos said.
The agreement comes after M23 fighters made sweeping gains across North and South Kivu, including briefly seizing Goma, eastern Congo's largest city, earlier this year.
Kinshasa accuses Kigali of backing the rebels to secure influence and mineral-rich territory but Rwanda denies involvement in the conflict.
The fighting has killed thousands, displaced hundreds of thousands, and raised fears of a broader regional confrontation.
Qatar has emerged as a diplomatic broker in conflicts far beyond the Middle East, hosting several rounds of DRC–M23 talks since April. But earlier ceasefire agreements signed in Doha in July quickly unravelled, with both sides accused of violating the truce almost immediately.
The new framework attempts to consolidate those earlier commitments while outlining political, security, humanitarian and disarmament steps.
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