Experts from the DRC and Rwanda signed the text of a possible peace agreement last week, which is to be analyzed this week by ministerial delegations for its signing on June 27, in the presence of US Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

However, among the reasons that cast doubt on the effectiveness of this pact is the fact that the rebels of the Congo River Alliance-March 23 Movement (AFC/M23), which currently control much of North and South Kivu provinces, are not included in the agreement.

This was one of the issues that led to the failure of the signing of the Luanda Agreement on December 15, 2024, so this time the text includes only a reference to the parties’ commitment to support talks between the DRC government and the AFC/M23 in Qatar.

Washington, which has taken a leading role in the search for a solution to the conflict in eastern Congo, mainly after the announcement of an agreement on strategic minerals with the DRC following the visit of the US President’s senior advisor for Africa, Massad Boulos, appears to have no interest in the rebels.

A Rwandan official participating in the negotiations told Actualité.CD that the issue of supporting the so-called Doha Process was something the Americans did not consider and was added to the discussions.

Currently, the AFC/M23 rebels and representatives from Kinshasa have a Qatari proposal in their hands, but given the roots of the conflict—ethnic, economic, political, and cultural—as well as the current situation, where the rebels are establishing parallel governments in the towns they call “liberated,” it remains to be seen whether they will reach a point of convergence and an agreement that satisfies both sides.

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