DRC government and M23 could meet in Qatar

Kinshasa Apr 2 (Prensa Latina) Representatives from the Government of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and the rebels of the March 23 Movement (M23) may be meeting in Doha, Qatar, on April 9, but official confirmation from either side is still to come.

April 2, 2025
12:44

According to France24 TV channel, Qatari mediators met last March 28 with representatives of the armed group, while Reuters agency quoted several sources from both sides as confirming the meeting.

Others, such as the AfricaNews website, consider the meeting, the first to bring together the M23 and the DRC government, is a possibility, following an unsuccessful attempt in Luanda, Angola, on March 18, when the guerrilla forces refused to attend in protest against the European Union sanctions.

Kinshasa had categorically refused to hold direct talks with the M23, considering them puppets of Rwanda and a terrorist group, but as guerrilla forces moved into the eastern region and seized a number of cities in Kivu North and South, the Congolese authorities reconsidered their position.

The Qatari mediation could become an essential element to achieve peace, since it managed to bring together the presidents of the DRC, Felix Tshisekedi, and of Rwanda, Paul Kagame, in Doha on March 18, where they agreed on an immediate and unconditional ceasefire in eastern Congo.

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