Congo and rebels sign declaration of principles for a permanent ceasefire : NPR
The M23 rebels stand with their weapons in Kibumba, in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo on December 23, 2022.
Moses Sawasawa / AP
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Moses Sawasawa / AP
Dakar, Senegal-The rebels supported by Congo and Rwanda signed a declaration of principles in Qatar on Saturday to end the fights of several decades in the east of the Congo which engages them at a permanent cease-fire and a complete peace agreement to sign in a month.
A final peace agreement must be signed no later than August 18, and it will be aligned with the peace agreement between Congo and Rwanda “facilitated by the United States in June, according to a copy of the declaration observed by the Associated Press.
The principle agreement addresses most of the strengths of the Congo peace agreement and Rwanda signed on June 27. This is the first direct commitment on both sides since the rebels have entered two key cities in eastern Congo in a major advance.
Supported by neighboring Rwanda, the M23 is the most important of more than 100 armed groups which are fighting for control in the East rich in minerals in the Congo. With 7 million people displaced in Congo, the UN called the conflict in eastern Congo “one of the most prolonged, complex and serious humanitarian crises on earth”.
It was not immediately clear what would be the specific terms of a final peace agreement and which concessions would be made. The M23 had put pressure for the release of its members detained by the Congo army, many of which are faced with the death sentence. The Congo had requested the withdrawal of the rebels from the seized territories.
A key problem has been to know if Rwanda will support rebels, including the thousands of troops which, according to the United Nations, are found in eastern Congo.
When Rwanda and Congo signed the peace agreement in Washington, Rwandan Foreign Minister Olivier Nduhungirehe, said Rwanda agreed to lift his “defensive measures” – suggesting a reference to his eastern troops from Congo – once the Congo neutralizes an armed group whose members accuse Kigali to transport the genocide from 1994 to 1994 Rwanda.
Analysts said that it would be difficult for M23 rebels to withdraw from the eastern Congolese cities of Goma and Bukavu seized earlier this year and that it would depend on the concessions that the Congolese authorities agree to make.
