The Democratic Republic of Congo and the M23 rebel group have reached a significant agreement on humanitarian access and prisoner releases following a new round of peace talks held in Montreux, Switzerland, from 13 to 17 April. The negotiations, conducted under Qatari mediation as part of the broader Doha process, produced concrete commitments from both sides and were welcomed by MONUSCO, the United Nations peacekeeping mission in the DRC.

Under the agreement, both the Congolese government and M23 pledged to allow humanitarian aid to flow through eastern DRC in a manner described as "rapid, safe, sustained and unimpeded." Specific protections were agreed upon, including a ban on attacks targeting food supplies such as crops, livestock and drinking water, as well as telecommunications infrastructure, energy facilities, schools and hospitals. Aid workers are to be protected, humanitarian convoys deployed, and steps taken to prevent the looting of food shipments. Both parties also committed to releasing and exchanging prisoners within ten days, a confidence-building measure seen as central to sustaining momentum in the peace process.

M23, a rebel movement active in eastern DRC since 2021 and widely reported to receive support from neighbouring Rwanda, has steadily expanded its territory, seizing the major eastern cities of Goma and Bukavu in early 2025. A ceasefire has nominally been in place since July, and a peace agreement between Rwanda and Congo was reinforced in December under US mediation — though M23 was not party to those talks. Days after that agreement, rebels captured the city of Uvira on the border with Burundi, triggering a fresh wave of displacement.

Despite the progress in Montreux, significant disagreements remain. M23 is pressing for the lifting of death sentences against some of its members and the reopening of banks in areas under its control. MONUSCO, which observed the talks, called on both sides to halt the use of offensive drones and GPS jamming, and to guarantee safe access to airports and airspace — conditions it considers essential for any effective ceasefire monitoring.

The talks take place against a wider geopolitical backdrop: a side deal tied to the December agreement involves the United States gaining access to the DRC's vast mineral wealth, including cobalt, copper and lithium. However, ongoing conflict continues to obstruct large-scale extraction, while Chinese companies currently control more than 70 percent of mining operations in the country. Both parties declared themselves "determined to maintain the momentum in the peace process," though the gap between diplomatic commitments and conditions on the ground remains wide.