DR Congo, M23 Rebels Resume Talks In Qatar After Renewed Violence In East

DOHA (Qatar), Aug 28 (NNN-AGENCIES) - The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and the M23 armed group have resumed negotiations in Qatar as violence deepens in the country's mineral-rich eastern provinces in spite of a recently signed an agreement to reach a full peace deal.
Qatari Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Majed al-Ansari said delegations from Kinshasa and the M23 were meeting in Doha to review the implementation of a truce signed in July.“We've received the two parties here in Doha to discuss the earlier agreement,” Ansari said at a news briefing.
The deal, brokered by Qatar, committed both sides to a ceasefire and a path to a final settlement. Under its terms, talks were supposed to begin on Aug 8 and conclude by Aug 18. Both deadlines passed without progress, and the agreement has faltered amid accusations of violations from both sides.
Ansari said the current discussions include plans to create a mechanism for monitoring the truce, as well as an exchange of prisoners and detainees. He added that the United States and the International Committee of the Red Cross were closely involved in supporting the talks.
The Qatar-led initiative followed a separate ceasefire agreement signed in Washington between Rwanda, who back M23, and DRC in June. But the M23 rejected that deal, demanding direct negotiations with Kinshasa to address what it called unresolved political grievances.
US President Donald Trump has repeatedly claimed that he ended the conflict, and several others, describing DRC as the“darkest, deepest” part of Africa and asserting that he“saved lots of lives.” On Monday, Trump claimed that nine million people were“killed with machetes” during the decades-long war, insisting,“I stopped it.” - NNN-AGENCIES

MENAFN28082025000200011047ID1109985962