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Russia Welcomes Peace Deal Between DR Congo, M23 Repels
(MENAFN) Russia has praised a new peace agreement between the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DR Congo) government and rebel groups aimed at ending years of deadly fighting in the country’s eastern provinces.
The accord represents a further effort to “unblock the conflict” and aligns with prior commitments made by the warring parties, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said Monday.
Moscow remains “convinced that the only viable way to ensure security and lasting peace” in eastern DR Congo is to “continue dialogue with the participation of international and regional mediators, with the prospect of achieving long-term national reconciliation,” she added.
The deal, signed in Doha on November 15 by Kinshasa and the Congo River Alliance (AFC)—a coalition of armed groups that includes the M23 rebel movement—follows months of mediation by Qatar, the United States, and the African Union.
It sets out eight negotiation protocols, including an immediate cessation of hostilities, force disengagement, “unimpeded, safe, and sustained humanitarian access,” and conditions for the return of displaced civilians. The agreement also calls for the “full restoration of state authority over the entire national territory,” including areas currently held by rebels.
Earlier this year, the M23 seized Goma, capital of North Kivu province, and Bukavu, the capital of South Kivu, amid rising violence. The United Nations reported more than 1,000 civilian deaths in North Kivu and Ituri since January, while at least 400,000 people have been displaced in the Beni and Lubero territories alone.
UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric warned that nearly 25 million people in DR Congo now face severe acute food insecurity due to disrupted farming and blocked trade routes caused by repeated rebel attacks.
Earlier peace efforts have repeatedly faltered. In July, Congolese authorities and the AFC signed a declaration in Doha and set an August 18 deadline for a final agreement. That deadline passed with no resolution, with each side accusing the other of violations.
The accord represents a further effort to “unblock the conflict” and aligns with prior commitments made by the warring parties, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said Monday.
Moscow remains “convinced that the only viable way to ensure security and lasting peace” in eastern DR Congo is to “continue dialogue with the participation of international and regional mediators, with the prospect of achieving long-term national reconciliation,” she added.
The deal, signed in Doha on November 15 by Kinshasa and the Congo River Alliance (AFC)—a coalition of armed groups that includes the M23 rebel movement—follows months of mediation by Qatar, the United States, and the African Union.
It sets out eight negotiation protocols, including an immediate cessation of hostilities, force disengagement, “unimpeded, safe, and sustained humanitarian access,” and conditions for the return of displaced civilians. The agreement also calls for the “full restoration of state authority over the entire national territory,” including areas currently held by rebels.
Earlier this year, the M23 seized Goma, capital of North Kivu province, and Bukavu, the capital of South Kivu, amid rising violence. The United Nations reported more than 1,000 civilian deaths in North Kivu and Ituri since January, while at least 400,000 people have been displaced in the Beni and Lubero territories alone.
UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric warned that nearly 25 million people in DR Congo now face severe acute food insecurity due to disrupted farming and blocked trade routes caused by repeated rebel attacks.
Earlier peace efforts have repeatedly faltered. In July, Congolese authorities and the AFC signed a declaration in Doha and set an August 18 deadline for a final agreement. That deadline passed with no resolution, with each side accusing the other of violations.
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