Ceasefire monitoring mission arrives in Democratic Republic of Congo

Fighting persists in the mineral-rich region despite ceasefire agreements.

A monitoring mission has been deployed in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) to verify the formal ceasefire between the DRC’s army and M23 rebels said to be backed by Rwanda.

The United Nations and government sources said on Monday that the monitoring team had arrived to track the progress of the Qatari-mediated truce. Despite the agreement to end the hostilities, fighting has continued on the ground.

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The UN said that the mission had deployed to Minembwe, located in the country’s mineral-rich South Kivu province, where intense fighting has persisted in recent months.

The Swiss government announced on Sunday that the DRC and M23 had agreed on a roadmap for peace talks after closed-door negotiations, and that a mission would be deployed to verify violations of the ceasefire agreement signed in Doha, Qatar in July 2025.

The mission is composed of members of the Congolese government and M23, as well as observers from member countries of the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region (ICGLR).

Local journalists reported that the UN Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (MONUSCO) provided logistical support for the deployment.

The mission will visit Uvira, from where the M23 withdrew in January, as well as Kalehe, where fighting has been reported in recent weeks.

Multiple armed groups have fought over the DRC’s mineral-abundant eastern provinces, including the Alliance Fleuve Congo (AFC) and M23, which seized swathes of territory and advanced on Goma, the capital of the North Kivu province, last year.

Peace efforts led by Qatar and the United States have sought to end the crisis, leading to the signing of two separate accords.

DRC President Felix Tshisekedi and Rwandan President Paul Kagame – whose country has been accused of backing the M23 rebels – signed a “historic” peace and economic agreement in December aimed at ending fighting, five months after the two agreed to a ceasefire. However, fighting has continued on the ground.

Both sides have accused the other of alleged abuses and ceasefire violations.

In a statement on Monday, the DRC condemned alleged M23 “crimes and serious rights violations” in territory under its control, accusing the group of killing “more than 300 people” in June and July.

The M23 has rejected the accusations. A spokesperson for the group said on X that government forces had launched a “deadly attack” with artillery on a village near Minembwe.