DR Congo and M23 rebels fail to make peace agreement
The Government of the DRC and the Rwandan-backed M23 paramilitary group failed to reach a peace agreement on 18 August, reports AfricaNews.
This had been the deadline for a peace agreement by the two groups who have been fighting across the eastern DRC since the M23 insurgency resumed in 2022.
On July 19th of 2025, a declaration of principles was signed by both groups with the aims of restoring state authority to the region and the protection and return of millions displaced by the conflict.
However, on the 17th of August, the M23 rebels released a statement which said peace talks would not continue unless they could make a deal where each term of the declaration of principles was met.
Previously, the M23 withdrew from peace talks in March, citing sanctions from the European Union, which they viewed as hindering talks.
The Congolese army had already accused M23 of jeopardising the ceasefire as they continued to launch attacks into the eastern DRC throughout August, including one brutal attack which saw over 300 civilians being killed.
In response to the violence in the eastern DRC, Jeremy Laurence, a spokesperson for the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, has stated, “All attacks against civilians must stop immediately, and all those responsible must be held to account.”
Peace talks in the region have been mediated by both Qatar and the US, with the US president stating he would like to see peace so he can secure US investments in the mineral-rich DRC.
The failure to reach an agreement has fuelled further uncertainty about the region’s future and whether peace will be brought to the DRC soon. Some fear it may mark a reversal in the progress made by the two groups, and violence may escalate within the DRC again.
AfricaNews, Maghrebi.org
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