The most recent negotiations come as clashes spill into the South Kivu highlands, with civilians ‘caught within the center’.
Revealed On 16 Apr 2026
The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and M23 rebels are holding talks in Switzerland, the most recent effort to curb lethal combating that has endured regardless of a December peace accord.
The brand new spherical of negotiations between the 2 sides started on Monday, with mediation by the USA and Qatar, in response to media experiences.
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The Congolese authorities and the AFC/M23 insurgent coalition signed an interim peace monitoring mechanism throughout the talks, Radio France Internationale (RFI) reported on Thursday.
The settlement establishes a physique to trace humanitarian and safety developments and monitor potential ceasefire violations, RFI mentioned.
The mechanism will embody representatives from each the DRC authorities and armed group, with assist from the United Nations Group Stabilization Mission within the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO).
Reporting from Goma in jap DRC, Al Jazeera’s Alain Uaykani mentioned the talks are going down “whereas the state of affairs on the bottom could be very fragile”, with either side accusing one another of violating truce agreements.
“Within the space of Minembwe [in South Kivu province], for instance, hundreds of civilians are caught in the course of the battle between totally different teams,” he mentioned.
Individuals on the bottom within the jap DRC hope mediators will press either side to respect a brand new sturdy peace mechanism, after a string of failed offers, added Uaykani.
‘Dire humanitarian disaster’
The AFC/M23 insurgent coalition has seized giant swaths of territory within the jap DRC because the begin of 2025, taking key cities, together with Goma, the capital of North Kivu province, and Bukavu, the capital of South Kivu.
Congolese President Felix Tshisekedi and Rwandan President Paul Kagame – whose nation has been accused of backing the M23 rebels – signed a “historic” peace and financial settlement in Washington, DC, in December, geared toward ending combating within the DRC.
Separate peace talks mediated by Qatar have additionally taken place between the DRC and the M23.
Regardless of peace efforts, clashes have continued, additionally flaring up virtually instantly after the signing of the December deal. Most just lately, combating has reached the highland areas of South Kivu, in response to media experiences.
In a press release on Tuesday, Human Rights Watch accused the opponents of blocking help deliveries and stopping civilians from fleeing the South Kivu highlands.
“Civilians in South Kivu’s highlands are going through a dire humanitarian disaster and reside in concern of abuses by all events,” mentioned Clementine de Montjoye, senior Nice Lakes researcher at Human Rights Watch.
“Extra consideration is required for this vastly underreported battle or this unhealthy state of affairs will get even worse.”
