DRC and Rwanda-backed rebels sign declaration of principles for permanent ceasefire in the east

Final peace deal to be signed no later than August 18, declaration says

M23 rebels in Kibumba, in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, in December 2022. AP

The Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda-backed M23 rebels on Saturday signed a declaration of principles in Qatar to end decades-long fighting in eastern Congo that commits them to a permanent ceasefire and a comprehensive peace agreement to be signed in one month.

The truce was agreed in the declaration signed by the two sides after three months of talks in the Qatari capital, Doha, and follows a separate Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC)-Rwanda peace deal signed in Washington last month.

A final peace deal is to be signed no later than August 18, and such a deal “shall align with the peace agreement between Congo and Rwanda”, the declaration said.

"The parties commit to uphold their commitment to a permanent ceasefire," including refraining from "hate propaganda" and "any attempt to seize by force new positions", a statement said.

It is the first direct commitment by both sides since the rebels seized two key cities in the eastern DRC in a major advance.

The M23, which took vast swathes of mineral-rich territory in a lightning offensive in January and February, had insisted on seeking its own ceasefire deal with Kinshasa.

The group is the most prominent of more than 100 armed groups fighting for control in the DRC's east. It said the Washington deal left out various "problems" that still needed to be addressed.

The warring parties agreed to open negotiations on a comprehensive peace agreement. The deal also includes a road map for restoring state authority in eastern DRC, which has been racked by conflict for more than three decades.

With seven million people displaced in the DRC, the UN has called the conflict in the east “one of the most protracted, complex, serious humanitarian crises on Earth".

The front line had stabilised since February, but fighting was still breaking out regularly between the M23 and multiple pro-government militias.

The African Union said the signing of the declaration of principles was a "significant development".

"This ... marks a major milestone in the continuing efforts to achieve lasting peace, security, and stability in eastern DRC and the wider Great Lakes region," African Union chairman Mahmoud Ali Youssouf said in a statement.