Peace is slipping further away in eastern DRC, despite mediation efforts by the US and Qatar

From left to right: peace mediator Sumbu Sita Mambu, Qatar's chief negotiator Mohammed al-Khulaifi and the executive secretary of the M23 armed group, Benjamin Mbonimpa, following a preliminary agreement signed in Doha on July 19, 2025. KARIM JAAFAR / AFP

Can Qatar bring the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and the rebels of the Congo River Alliance-M23 (AFC-M23) back to the negotiating table? The parties were expected to reach a "comprehensive peace agreement" to end the violence tearing apart eastern Congo by August 18 at the latest, but nothing has been signed and the negotiations appear deadlocked. On the eve of the deadline, a Qatari official told Agence France-Presse that a draft peace agreement had been shared with both parties. According to this official, Doha is preparing to "host a major round of negotiations" in the coming days. Meanwhile, fighting is continuing on the ground.

Kinshasa and the AFC-M23 rebels accuse each other of violating the ceasefire both sides had agreed to in the July 19 declaration of principles signed in Doha. On August 11, the rebels condemned Kinshasa's "offensive military maneuvers," referring to significant troop movements. The next day, the Congolese armed forces issued a statement of their own, criticizing the "bellicose" stance of the AFC-M23 and the "multiple attacks" on Congolese troops.