Qatar announces that the UN will deploy a ceasefire monitoring mission in Congo

The United Nations peacekeeping mission in Congo is set to dispatch its inaugural team to oversee a ceasefire between the Congolese government and the AFC/M23 rebel group in the upcoming days, as announced by Qatar’s foreign ministry on Monday following discussions held in Doha.

Qatar announced that the team would be sent to Uvira, a key city in eastern Congo that was seized by AFC/M23 fighters in December during a swift offensive. Congolese forces and allied militias regained control of the city last month after the rebels declared their intention to withdraw.

The announcement late Monday indicates progress in the direct talks mediated by Doha between Congo and the AFC/M23 rebels, who last year captured more territory than they had previously controlled in eastern Congo. The United States is facilitating distinct discussions between Congo and Rwanda, a move that the United Nations and Western powers claim supports AFC/M23, a charge that Kigali refutes.

On Monday, the Qatari foreign ministry announced that Congo and M23 had reached an agreement on detailed terms of reference for the ceasefire monitoring mechanism established under the agreement made in October. They also reaffirmed their commitments within the broader peace deal framework signed in November.

The recent effort to implement ceasefire monitoring arises during ongoing clashes in the east.

During the weekend, drones filled with explosives targeted the airport that serves the northeastern Congolese city of Kisangani, according to Congolese authorities.

If verified as an AFC/M23 operation, this would mark the westernmost point of the group’s attacks in its campaign against the government in Kinshasa.