M23 rebels reaffirm commitment to Doha mediation despite rift with DRC government

Displaced people are seen near the iron-sheet shelters near a former camp for internally displaced persons on the outskirts of Goma, DRC, on May 6, 2025. [Xinhua]

The March 23 Movement (M23) rebel group on Monday reaffirmed its commitment to pursuing the peace process under Qatari mediation, despite ongoing differences with the government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).

At a press conference in Goma, the capital of North Kivu Province that has been under M23 control since late January, Corneille Nangaa, head of the Congo River Alliance, a politico-military coalition allied with the M23, voiced confidence in Qatar's mediation efforts even as disputes with Kinshasa persist.

The remarks came as the DRC government and the M23 resumed discussions in Doha, following the signing on July 19 of a Declaration of Principles intended to start negotiations by Aug. 8 and target a peace accord by Aug. 18. These deadlines have not been met, but Doha remains the only venue for direct dialogue in recent weeks.

"We will not betray peace. That is why we remain in Doha... because we trust the mediation," Nangaa said, citing the release of some 700 prisoners by the DRC government, an obligation outlined in the Declaration of Principles, which he said has yet to be respected by Kinshasa.

Nangaa also claimed that the DRC Armed Forces (FARDC) had conducted operations in several areas of South Kivu in breach of the ceasefire stipulated in the Doha Declaration of Principles. He noted that a two-member team from the M23 had been dispatched to Doha to focus solely on mechanisms related to the ceasefire and prisoner release.

For weeks, the FARDC and M23 rebels have traded accusations of repeated violations of the Doha ceasefires.

On Saturday, DRC President Felix Tshisekedi described the Doha talks as "dynamics" designed to help the DRC turn the page on violence and allow Congolese people to shape their own future.

Meanwhile, the security situation on the ground continues to deteriorate. Since January 2025, the M23 has seized several strategic cities, including Goma and Bukavu, worsening an already dire humanitarian crisis. Recent clashes have been reported on multiple fronts, notably in the Fizi highlands of South Kivu Province, according to security sources.

As the conflict grinds on, the humanitarian crisis in the eastern DRC has reached alarming proportions. According to the United Nations, more than 28 million people in the country face food insecurity, while over 7 million remain internally displaced, many of them repeatedly.