By Horn Africa News Staff | Doha
The State of Qatar is set to facilitate a new round of peace negotiations between the government of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and the M23 rebel group, in a bid to end years of armed conflict in the country’s eastern region.
According to diplomatic sources cited by Agence France-Presse (AFP), Qatar will host the talks in its capital, Doha, marking a significant step toward reviving stalled peace efforts and achieving long-term stability in the region. These discussions come as a follow-up to an earlier agreement reached at the end of June between the DRC and neighboring Rwanda, which has been accused of backing the M23 rebels — an allegation it denies.
The renewed dialogue is seen as a crucial opportunity to de-escalate the protracted conflict in eastern Congo, particularly in the North Kivu province, where heavy fighting has led to the displacement of tens of thousands of civilians and a worsening humanitarian crisis.
Qatar’s involvement highlights its increasingly active diplomatic role in conflict resolution across Africa. The Gulf nation is reportedly working closely with the African Union and international partners to mediate between the two sides and support a peaceful settlement to the long-running crisis.
The March 23 Movement, widely known as M23, emerged in 2012 from a former rebel faction known as the CNDP (National Congress for the Defense of the People). Since then, M23 has been involved in repeated clashes with the Congolese army and has taken control of strategic areas in the mineral-rich North Kivu region, including parts of Goma, a major city near the Rwandan border.
This initiative by Qatar comes shortly after a separate diplomatic effort in the United States, where Congolese and Rwandan officials held talks aimed at easing tensions between the two countries, which have long accused each other of interfering in each other’s internal affairs.
The Doha talks are expected to build on these recent developments and could pave the way for a sustainable peace agreement — a prospect welcomed by regional observers, who see the conflict in eastern Congo as one of Africa’s most complex and enduring security challenges.
