The decades-long conflict has intensified since January when M23 staged an unprecedented offensive, seizing Goma and Bukavu – eastern Congo’s two largest cities – and sparking fears of a wider regional war.
DR Congo accuses Rwanda of arming the M23 and sending troops to support the rebels in the conflict. Despite assertions from both the UN and US, Rwanda has denied supporting the M23.
Rwanda has said its forces are acting in self-defence against the Congolese army and allied militias, some of which it accuses of links to the 1994 Rwandan genocide.
DR Congo also accuses Rwanda of illegally exploiting its mineral deposits in the east of the country, which Rwanda denies.
In a joint statement released separately by the M23 and Congolese government on Wednesday, each side pledged to give peace talks a chance.
“By mutual agreement, both parties reaffirm commitment to the immediate cessation of hostilities, a categorical rejection of any hate speech, intimidation, and call on all local communities to uphold these commitments,” they said in a statement read on Congolese national TV and and posted on X by the M23 spokesperson Lawrence Kanyuka.
They said the ceasefire would apply “throughout the duration of the talks and until their conclusion”.
Sources in the Qatar talks told Reuters news agency that the outcome of the meetings were almost derailed by “technical” issues.
It is not clear how long the truce will hold as several ceasefires have been agreed since 2021, before later collapsing.
Belgium’s Foreign Affairs Minister Maxime Prevot termed the truce a “crucial step towards ending the violence”.
Qatar has been mediating between the two parties after the rebels refused to attend peace talks in Angola last month.
The Congolese government had long refused to hold direct talks with M23, branding it a “terrorist” group.BBC
