The March 23 Movement, commonly known as M23, has confirmed that dialogue with the government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo is set to resume in the Qatari capital Doha, following the signing of a framework agreement between the two parties. The announcement was made in Goma, the administrative centre of North Kivu Province, which is currently under M23’s de facto control.
According to M23 representatives, the forthcoming discussions are anticipated to focus on critical concerns, including unrestricted humanitarian access, legal assurances for its members, and mechanisms for the release of detainees. Benjamin Mbonimpa, the movement’s lead negotiator at the Doha talks, warned that the continued activities of local armed groups threaten to derail progress made thus far.
“As long as local armed groups are not neutralised, there will be deaths, insecurity, and people will not move freely,” Mbonimpa said, reiterating that armed actors beyond M23 remain a destabilising force in the region.
While negotiations advance, they do so under the strain of persistent clashes between M23 and the Congolese Armed Forces, with mutual accusations of ceasefire violations undermining trust. The government in Kinshasa, represented by spokesperson Patrick Muyaya, stated earlier this week that the country’s territorial integrity remains non-negotiable. “What is important for Congolese people to know is that in the discussions we are holding, no part of the Congolese territory will be ceded,” he said during a national briefing.
Muyaya further affirmed the government’s commitment to a political solution that would dismantle rebel operations in the east. “What we want is the end of this rebellion and the disappearance of these auxiliaries in their current form,” he noted, referencing M23’s integration into the wider political-military alliance known as Alliance Fleuve Congo.
The Doha negotiations are being brokered by the government of Qatar and follow the Declaration of Principles signed in July, which envisioned a peace agreement by August. However, those timelines lapsed without tangible outcomes. The recent framework agreement is seen as a recalibration of that roadmap, though its success remains contingent on implementation across a fragmented landscape.
Since its resurgence in late 2021, M23 has expanded its control across key urban and rural centres in eastern Congo, including Goma and parts of Bukavu. In these areas, the group has reportedly set up parallel governance structures, posing significant challenges to national authority and undermining the capacity of local institutions. This development has intensified what is already one of the world’s most pressing humanitarian crises, with over 6.9 million people displaced nationwide according to UN OCHA figures.
The peace process, while grounded in regional diplomacy, reflects a broader continental imperative to develop African-led mechanisms of conflict transformation. The involvement of external actors like Qatar indicates a shift towards a multilateral peace architecture, yet the narrative remains rooted in African agency. The complexity of the Congolese crisis defies simplistic binaries of government versus rebellion. It is shaped by a confluence of ethnic tensions, geopolitical rivalries, resource exploitation and historical grievances.
The future of the Doha process will likely depend on whether all parties, including local armed groups not currently at the table, can be drawn into a credible and inclusive political framework. For now, the people of eastern Congo continue to endure the fallout of violence that has long defied linear explanations or foreign-imposed solutions. Peace, if it is to be durable, will require more than ceasefires. It will demand justice, accountability, and a reimagining of power structures that place the dignity of Congolese communities at the centre of national recovery.
