DRC and M23 Reach Peace Deal With Some Hopefully Skeptical Democratic Republic of the Congo

DRC and M23 Reach Peace Deal With Some Hopefully Skeptical Democratic Republic of the Congo The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) signed an agreement with M23 rebels to end fighting in the mineral-rich eastern part of the country over the weekend, even as analysts say they are cautious about celebrating any peace just yet, Africanews reported. According to the Qatar-brokered ceasefire deal, the DRC government and the Rwanda-backed M23 rebels committed to a permanent ceasefire, a ban on aerial, ground, maritime, and lake-based attacks, as well as acts of sabotage, hate propaganda, and any attempt to gain new ground by force, Deutsche Welle wrote. The agreement would also restore DRC authority across the eastern part of the country, including the reintroduction of the army, police, judiciary, and civil administration to areas currently under M23 control. Some say that this text is particularly significant as it comes with a clear timeline: It must be implemented by July 29. Direct negotiations toward a comprehensive peace agreement are scheduled to start on Aug. 8. The talks will be based on the peace deal signed between the DRC and Rwanda in the US last month. The goal is to sign a comprehensive peace agreement by Aug. 18. Observers in Goma, the capital of the North Kivu province in eastern DRC, currently under the control of Rwanda-backed M23 insurgents, remain skeptical that the deal will last. For example, tensions arose soon after signing, with the DRC government saying that insurgents agreed to withdraw from occupied areas, while the M23 rebel officials denied any plans to retreat. Congolese civil rights activist Maude-Salomé Ekila told Africanews that this is just another deal that, like the ones that came before, sparks hope at the moment of signing only to be undermined later by the self-interest of the parties involved. The conflict between the DRC and M23 rebels escalated in January, when M23 captured two of the DRC’s largest cities and seized key areas in the mineral-rich eastern part of the country. The conflict has killed thousands of people and created one of the most significant humanitarian crises in the world, displacing millions of people.