The Democratic Republic of Congo and M23 rebels issued identical statements on Wednesday pledging to pursue peace after more than a week of talks in Qatar, where violence and mutual distrust dominated the agenda.
“Both parties reaffirm their commitment to an immediate cessation of hostilities,” the statement read. It also condemned hate speech and intimidation, calling on local communities to uphold peace efforts.
But frustrations remain. Sources from both sides said talks were slowed by disputes over confidence-building measures—especially the release of Congo-held prisoners linked to M23 and Rwanda.
“They are asking for too much,” said a Congo government source.
“Our justice system is independent. Some people must pay.”
A source from the rebel coalition said the issue derailed efforts toward deeper negotiations. The delegations left Doha earlier this week.
Despite that, diplomats say Qatar pushed both parties to agree on the joint statement, raising faint hopes of progress in a conflict that has lasted decades.
M23 launched an unprecedented advance in January, seizing eastern Congo’s two largest cities. The offensive killed thousands and raised fears of a wider regional war.
Qatar’s mediation follows a surprise meeting it brokered last month between Congolese President Félix Tshisekedi and Rwandan President Paul Kagame. Both called for a ceasefire. It was the first step toward direct dialogue between Kinshasa and M23—long dismissed by Congo as a terrorist group.
Rwanda denies backing the rebels. Congo, the UN, and Western governments say otherwise.
On Wednesday, a UN source confirmed fresh fighting in Walikale, a strategic mining hub that M23 vacated earlier this month in what it called a goodwill gesture.
“This is a crucial step towards ending the violence,” Belgian Foreign Minister Maxime Prévot said.
Still, no date has been set for further talks.
The Orenburg gas processing plant, the world's largest facility of its kind, has been forced to halt its intake of gas from Kazakhstan following a Ukr...
Israel launched air strikes and artillery fire on Gaza on Sunday, in what officials called a response to militant attacks, as the U.S.-mediated ceasef...
The Louvre Museum in Paris was closed on Sunday after thieves broke in and stole “priceless” jewellery from the Napoleon collection, the French go...
Former French president Nicolas Sarkozy said he is not afraid of going to prison, days before beginning a five-year sentence over his 2007 campaign fi...
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the Rafah border crossing between Gaza and Egypt will remain closed until Hamas returns the bodies of d...
The UN Human Rights Office said on Friday that armed groups in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, including M23 rebels and government forces, committed serious violations that may amount to war crimes, citing killings, rapes and torture.
When Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) militants stormed her village in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, Maman Soki lost her daughter, sister, and neighbours.
Rescue operations continued this Tuesday at the Lomera artisanal gold mine in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) after a shaft collapse over the weekend trapped an unknown number of miners underground.
At least 69 people have died and almost 150 injured following a powerful 6.9-magnitude earthquake off the coast of Cebu City in the central Visayas region of the Philippines, officials said, making it one of the country’s deadliest disasters this year.
A tsunami threat was issued in Chile after a magnitude 7.8 earthquake struck the Drake Passage on Friday. The epicenter was located 135 miles south of Puerto Williams on the north coast of Navarino Island.
The war in Ukraine has reached a strategic impasse, and it seems that the conflict will not be solved by military means. This creates a path toward one of two alternatives: either a “frozen” phase that can last indefinitely or a quest for a durable political regulation.
A shooting in Nice, southeastern France, left two people dead and five injured on Friday, authorities said.
Snapchat will start charging users who store more than 5GB of photos and videos in its Memories feature, prompting backlash from long-time users.
The Orenburg gas processing plant, the world's largest facility of its kind, has been forced to halt its intake of gas from Kazakhstan following a Ukrainian drone strike, according to Kazakhstan's energy ministry.
The Louvre Museum in Paris was closed on Sunday after thieves broke in and stole “priceless” jewellery from the Napoleon collection, the French government said.
Former French president Nicolas Sarkozy said he is not afraid of going to prison, days before beginning a five-year sentence over his 2007 campaign financing case linked to Libya.
Millions of Americans took to the streets for “No Kings” rallies across all 50 states, denouncing what they called the corruption and authoritarianism of President Donald Trump.
Türkiye is ready to assume a de facto guarantor role if a two-state solution in Palestine is implemented, Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said on Saturday.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment