DOHA/KINSHASA, (Prime Africa) — The Democratic Republic of Congo and the M23 rebel group have signed a new framework agreement in Doha, marking a cautiously hopeful step toward ending the devastating conflict in eastern Congo. The deal, inked on Saturday in the Qatari capital, is part of a broader peace effort backed by the United States and Qatar to address decades of instability that have claimed thousands of lives and displaced hundreds of thousands this year alone.
The agreement builds on a series of documents negotiated over recent months and outlines eight protocols intended to guide a comprehensive peace process. However, U.S. officials stressed that significant work lies ahead to translate the framework into lasting results on the ground.
Massad Boulos, the top U.S. envoy to the region, described the deal as a “critical milestone” but emphasized the challenges ahead, noting that only two of the eight agreed protocols—prisoner exchanges and ceasefire monitoring—had seen progress, albeit slow.
“People were expecting immediate results, but this is a process,” Boulos said. “This is not a light switch that you just switch on and off.”
The M23 rebel movement, which Western and UN officials say has received support from neighboring Rwanda, seized Goma—eastern Congo’s largest city—in January and has since made significant advances in North and South Kivu. Rwanda has repeatedly denied backing the group, even as M23 holds more territory than ever before.
Regional analysts warn that the road to peace will require deeper engagement. Tibor Nagy, a former U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Africa, criticized the pattern of fragmented peace efforts.
“It needs extensive hand-holding instead of multiple ‘drive-by’ peace processes,” he said. “The players seem more interested in getting credit than results.”
Despite ongoing diplomatic engagement in Washington and Doha, violence has persisted. Both the Congolese government and M23 accuse each other of undermining previous agreements. Meanwhile, numerous other armed groups continue to operate in the mineral-rich east, further complicating efforts to stabilize the region. On Friday, local officials reported that up to 28 people were killed in North Kivu by Islamic State–aligned Ugandan militants.
Qatar, which has hosted multiple rounds of dialogue since April, has focused largely on confidence-building and preconditions for formal peace. Past agreements—including a July declaration of principles and an October ceasefire monitoring deal—left several core issues unresolved.
Qatar’s Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Mohammed bin Abdulaziz Al-Khulaifi, expressed optimism that Saturday’s framework could mark a turning point.
“Peace cannot be enforced by force, but is built through confidence, mutual respect and sincere commitment,” he said.
As the region looks ahead, the framework agreement offers renewed hope, but its true test will lie in whether it can halt the violence and build trust among long-warring parties.
Additional reporting by Menna Alaa El-Din in Cairo, Fiston Mahamba in Kinshasa, and Jessica Donati in Dakar. Writing by Jessica Donati. Editing by Gareth Jones and Joe Bavier.
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