The Democratic Republic of Congo and the M23 rebel group signed a framework agreement on Saturday (15 November) for a peace deal aimed at ending the ongoing conflict in eastern DR Congo, which has resulted in thousands of deaths and the displacement of hundreds of thousands this year.
The agreement was signed by representatives from both sides at a ceremony in Doha, Qatar. It marks the latest in a series of documents signed in recent months, with the backing of the United States and Qatar, to resolve the decades-long conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo, which has often threatened to escalate into a regional war.
While U.S. and Qatari officials described the framework as a significant step towards peace, they acknowledged that much work remains to be done.
Massad Boulos, the top U.S. envoy to the region, stated that the framework includes eight protocols, six of which still require agreement on implementation. He also noted that the implementation of the first two protocols, regarding the exchange of prisoners and monitoring a ceasefire had been slow.
The M23 rebel group, which has received support from neighbouring Rwanda, captured Goma, eastern DRC's largest city, in January and made further territorial gains across North Kivu and South Kivu provinces.
However, Rwanda has denied any involvement with M23, despite the group's increased territorial control.
Violence in DRC continues even as diplomatic efforts progress. On Friday, local officials reported that up to 28 people were killed by Islamic State-allied militants in North Kivu. Qatar has hosted several rounds of direct talks since April, focusing primarily on preconditions and building trust between the two sides.
The two parties reached an agreement in July on a declaration of principles, though key issues at the heart of the conflict remain unresolved. In October, they agreed to monitor a future ceasefire. Qatar’s Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Mohammed bin Abdulaziz Al-Khulaifi, stated that Saturday's agreement set the stage for peace, emphasising that peace is built through confidence, mutual respect, and sincere commitment, rather than by force.
The U.S. will impose "never seen before" measures on Iran in order to economically isolate the country, Washington's Treasury Secreta...
The Democratic Republic of the Congo’s (DRC) Ebola outbreak has spread to a sixth province. A man died of the v...
President Donald Trump has ordered the U.S. Navy to abandon its next planned electromagnetic aircraft launch sy...
Disruption in the Strait of Hormuz has increased the strategic importance of Bab al-Mandab, raising fears that instability in both waterways could trigger a wider global energy and trade crisis.
Flights at Catania airport in Sicily will remain suspended until early Friday as ash from Mount Etna continues to disrupt air travel, following hundreds of cancellations and diversions over the past week.
Iran says the Strait of Hormuz remains under its control, rejecting U.S. President Donald Trump’s claim of “total control” over the strategic waterway and insisting it will not reopen until Washington fulfils its commitments under an interim deal.
Iran and the United States remain at loggerheads over efforts to agree a permanent end to the war in the Gulf, according to a senior Iranian source who said there had been no progress in talks to revive the interim deal agreed in June and define a timeframe to implement it.
Russia has accused Ukraine of threatening global grain supplies after recent strikes on Black Sea agricultural infrastructure, while Moscow carried out a new overnight attack on Ukraine’s major Danube port of Izmail.
The Democratic Republic of the Congo’s (DRC) Ebola outbreak has spread to a sixth province. A man died of the virus in Bas-Uélé in the north, the African Union’s health agency said.
President Donald Trump has ordered the U.S. Navy to abandon its next planned electromagnetic aircraft launch system and return to steam-powered catapults on a future aircraft carrier, while also authorising limited overseas ship construction to help address naval capacity shortfalls.
A diplomatic dispute has erupted between Cuba and the Dominican Republic after Santo Domingo ordered the withdrawal of several Cuban diplomats and their family members, prompting a sharp response from Havana.
Brazil has taken the first formal step towards potential retaliatory action against the United States following the Trump administration's decision to impose new tariffs on Brazilian exports, signalling a further deterioration in relations between the two countries.
U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said on Thursday that reports about poor conditions aboard aircraft carrier the USS Abraham Lincoln in the Middle East were "completely misrepresented."
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment