Democratic Republic of the Congo

Violent combat has broken out between the Congolese army and the M23 armed group in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo despite a peace treaty, security and local sources told AFP on Monday.

Kinshasa and the M23 signed a declaration of principles on July 19, in which they committed to a permanent ceasefire, following the signing of a peace agreement between the DRC and Rwanda in late June.

The United States has sanctioned an armed group accused of illicit mining in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), as both the army and the Rwandan-backed M23 rebel group traded accusations of violating a recently reached US-mediated ceasefire deal by attacking each other’s positions. The US Department of the Treasury said on Tuesday that it was blocking all interests and restricting transactions with Pareco-FF, an armed group that it said controlled the key coltan mining site of Rubaya from 2022 to 2024, and which has opposed the M23 group.

Hopes for peace in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) have been shaken by a surge in brutal attacks on civilians by armed groups, including the Rwandan-backed M23 militia, in the country’s troubled eastern region. … The spike in violence comes just weeks after two high-level peace initiatives appeared to offer a path forward.

The Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda have held their first talks after signing a peace deal to end decades of deadly conflict in mineral-rich eastern Congo, the two countries said on Friday. … They “discussed progress on implementing the agreement” among other things, it [a joint statement] said.

More than 40 people were killed Sunday in an attack by Allied Democratic Forces rebels in northeastern DR Congo, ending a months-long period of regional calm, the UN mission and Congolese military said.

Former Democratic Republic of Congo president Joseph Kabila went on trial in absentia Friday on charges including treason over his alleged support for Rwanda-backed militants.

But Kinshasa will need significant peacebuilding and humanitarian support – and local communities must have some ownership of the process.

An agreement signed by the Government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and the Congo River Alliance/March 23 Movement (AFC/M23) has been hailed by the UN peacekeeping mission in the country (MONUSCO) as “an important step towards sustainable peace.”

Negotiators from the Democratic Republic of Congo and the M23 armed group were in Qatar Wednesday for talks on a broader truce, a diplomat with knowledge of the talks told AFP.

Despite its significance, the deal faces criticism for trading Congolese sovereignty for US access to critical minerals, as part of a transactional form of peace mediation. Previous agreements that bargained Rwandan withdrawal in exchange for actions against the FDLR failed after they were repeatedly violated, leading to more violence.