The Democratic Republic of the Congo and the AFC/M23 rebel coalition have signed a formal peace monitoring agreement in Geneva, establishing a joint mechanism to track ceasefire violations and humanitarian developments — even as fresh fighting engulfs new areas of the country's troubled east.
The memorandum, formalised this week during talks mediated by the United States and Qatar, creates a body comprising three government officials and three AFC/M23 representatives, supported by MONUSCO, the United Nations stabilisation mission in the DRC. Its mandate is to monitor the security and humanitarian situation on the ground and verify alleged ceasefire breaches, including drone attacks. The agreement marks a significant procedural step: previous monitoring frameworks were managed through the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region, a body that includes only states and therefore could not formally incorporate an armed non-state group like the AFC/M23. The Switzerland signing changes that architecture by bringing both belligerents directly into the mechanism. The framework builds on a ceasefire accord signed in Doha on 14 October 2025 and terms of reference adopted on 2 February 2026. However, no deployment date has yet been announced for the mechanism's on-the-ground operations.
The talks are unfolding against a backdrop of persistent and worsening violence. The AFC/M23 coalition has seized large swaths of eastern DRC since the start of 2025, capturing Goma, the regional capital of North Kivu province, and Bukavu, the capital of South Kivu. Fighting has now spread into the highland areas of South Kivu, a mountainous interior region, where thousands of civilians are caught between multiple armed groups. Human Rights Watch warned this week that warring parties are blocking aid deliveries and preventing civilians from fleeing, describing conditions as a "dire humanitarian crisis" in a conflict it called "vastly underreported."
The broader diplomatic picture is equally fraught. Congolese President Félix Tshisekedi and Rwandan President Paul Kagame signed what was described as a "historic" peace and economic agreement in Washington in December, but clashes resumed almost immediately. Rwanda has long been accused of backing the M23 rebels — an allegation the United States recently acted on by imposing sanctions on Rwandan army officials — and deep mutual mistrust persists on both sides.
Why this matters: the eastern DRC has endured decades of cyclical conflict driven by competition over vast mineral wealth, ethnic tensions, and the involvement of regional powers. A string of previous peace deals has collapsed in implementation, and local populations remain deeply sceptical. The new monitoring mechanism is a technical but important building block — it creates a shared space for both parties to flag violations rather than simply trading accusations. Whether it translates into reduced violence will depend on swift deployment and genuine political will from all sides.