Kinshasa, AFC/M23 continue peace talks with a ceasefire at the top of the agenda
The AFC/M23 movement and the government of DR Congo will meet again for the sixth round of peace talks in Doha on Monday, October 13. The talks began in April.
A permanent ceasefire deal is at the top of the list of things that need to be done. This could end the fighting in eastern DR Congo.
The talks happen after the Declaration of Principles was signed on July 19 in Doha. In it, both sides agreed to seven important things, such as ending the fighting and freeing each other’s prisoners as a way to build trust and make peace possible.
Even so, battle has continued on the ground despite these promises. The rebels say that airstrikes from the government and its supporters, such as Burundian troops, foreign mercenaries, and the FDLR (a Rwandan genocidal militia backed by Kinshasa), have killed people while attacking their positions and populated areas.
A big bridge in Walikale, North Kivu, was destroyed in recent attacks, making it hard for people and things to move.
A spokesman for the AFC/M23, Oscar Balinda, said that the talks that were being mediated by Qatar were starting up again with clear requests.
But he also said that the group, which rules important areas in eastern DR Congo, will not talk to the government for a long time if it doesn’t keep the promises it made before.
“A ceasefire is the most important thing.” We are working hard to set up a way for the fighting to stop for good. On Monday, Balinda told The New Times, “Every party is asked to move back five kilometers from the front lines.”
“Because the front lines are moving, each side has to move back five kilometers from where it is now.”
Balinda stated that once both sides leave, a neutral armed group will be sent between them to make sure they follow through.
“The mediator suggested MONUSCO, a mission of the United Nations. On the other hand, we don’t agree with that because we fought them. They picked the side of the government in this fight. “We have our own ideas about which force should do that,” he said.
He also said that the government coalition’s ongoing attacks have made the rebels defend themselves and keep people safe.
But he was positive about the mediation attempts that were still going on in Qatar.
The goal of the peace meeting is to take steps to build trust and set the stage for long-term peace. The principles statement signed in July says that the talks should make it possible for refugees and people who have been forced to leave their homes to return, and that at the end, both sides should sign a peace deal.
These peaceful talks are meant to go along with the talks between Rwanda and DR Congo that were facilitated by the US. In late June, they signed a peace deal.
The main goals of the Washington peace deal are to disarm and disengage the FDLR, which is Rwanda’s main security worry because of the militia’s history of attacks across the border from Congolese territory and its support for genocide, as well as to remove Rwanda’s defenses.
The FDLR was formed by former Tutsi Genocide killers. It is also at the center of violence against the Banyamulenge and other Tutsi groups in eastern DR Congo.
The AFC/M23 rebels also say that the Congolese government’s backing for the FDLR is wrong because the FDLR helps to spread violence between different groups in the country.
