1 of 2 | Corneille Nangaa (center), the leader of the political-military Alliance Fleuve Congo and M23 President Bertrand Bisimwa (second from right) arrive to participate in a cleanup exercise of the city of Goma, Democratic Republic of the Congo on February 1. File photo by EPA
The Democratic Republic of Congo and M23 rebels backed by Rwanda signed a declaration of peace after nearly four years of fighting in Central Africa.
The signing took place in Doha, Qatar, three weeks after Congo and Rwanda signed a peace agreement in Washington, D.C., that didn’t involve the rebels, who emerged in 2012. There have been 30 years of conflict between the two nations.
The BBC obtained a copy of the declaration, which must follow the Washington Accords brokered by the United States.
At the White House, both sides agreed to recognize and respect each other’s territorial borders, committed to not supporting any armed groups and to establish a joint security mechanism to target militias.
And they plan to expand trade and investment opportunities, including U.S. access to critical minerals.
Massad Boulos, the U.S. special envoy for Africa, witnessed Saturday’s agreement.
In the accord brokered by Qatar officials, both sides agreed to “resolve their disputes by peaceful means” by July 9 with a final peace deal by Aug 18.
“The parties acknowledge that peace, security and stability are essential to increase development opportunities, improve living conditions and protect human dignity,” the accord said.
Also, there is a commitment to reinstate state authority in eastern Congo.
The deal took the government’s “red line” into account, including the “non-negotiable withdrawal” of M23 from occupied areas, according to DR Congo spokesman Patrick Muyatya.
But M23 negotiator Benjamin Mbonimpa said in a video the deal didn’t mention a pullout
African Union Commission Chairman Mahmoud Ali Youssouf called the declaration a “major milestone in the ongoing efforts to achieve lasting peace, security, and stability in eastern DRC and the wider Great Lakes region.
Congo Foreign Minister Therese Kayikwamba Wagner and Rwandan Foreign Minister Olivier Nduhungirehe appeared at a signing ceremony in the White House’s Oval Office on June 27.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Qatar began negotiations with the two foreign ministers in April. The agreement was announced by the State Department on June 18.
“At least 6 million people were killed during that period of time,” Trump said at signing. “It’s incredible. And somebody said that was actually, it’s the biggest war on the planet since World War II. It’s a shame but we’re going to bring it to an end.”
Around 7 million people have been displaced in Congo, which has a population of 106 million. Rwanda’s population is 14 million. They both gained independence from Belgium in the early 1960s.
Congo has agreed to “neutralize” the rebels in eastern Congo. They are linked to perpetrators of the 1994 Rwandan genocide of more than 800,000 Tutsis and Hutus.
In January, M-23 rebels were aided by Rwandan forces in escalating the conflict, according to a United Nations expert panel.
