DR Congo has reached a roadmap agreement with the M23 rebel group, which has been fighting for decades, to lead toward peace talks under a U.S.-mediated accord signed last year.
Foreign news agencies reported on Sunday, 23 Aug 2026 GMT+7, that the government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DR Congo) and the Rwanda-backed M23 rebel group have agreed on a roadmap toward joint peace negotiations after decades of conflict.
A joint statement after five days of talks in Switzerland said both sides pledged to “proceed with negotiations aimed at achieving comprehensive peace and conflict resolution,” and to establish a mechanism to monitor the ceasefire.
The roadmap agreement sets a timeline for negotiations under the U.S.-brokered peace accord signed in 2025, though clashes have continued in eastern DR Congo since then.
However, despite the roadmap and peace accord, the two parties still disagree on several issues, including sanctions on M23, the release of detained members, and the timeline for political reforms.
The latest talks involved M23, the DR Congo government, Qatar, the United States, the Republic of Togo, the African Union Commission, and Switzerland as host country.
“The parties agreed to establish a mechanism to review progress and address challenges in fulfilling obligations and commitments under the Doha Framework Agreement,” the statement said, referring to the 2025 accord.
The statement also said both sides jointly set “consecutive steps and timelines” and committed to applying “flexibility and creativity” in their work.
Additionally, they agreed to use a mechanism to monitor ceasefire violations, with a secretariat already established. The first monitoring mission is scheduled for this Monday in Minembwe, South Kivu province, a region heavily affected by fighting.
The conflict with M23 is closely linked to tensions between DR Congo and neighboring Rwanda, which accuses DR Congo of failing to eliminate the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR), an armed group Rwanda considers a security threat.
DR Congo denies supporting the FDLR and accuses Rwanda of backing M23 with military and weapons industry support. Rwanda has consistently denied supporting M23 despite strong evidence.
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Source:bbc