The March 23 Movement (M23) rebels have withdrawn their delegation from peace talks in Qatar’s capital, Doha.
Mediated by Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, President of Qatar, the peace talks started in April with both parties agreeing to recommendations of respecting an effective ceasefire, immediate cessation of hostilities, categorical rejection of all hate speech and intimidation, and address the root causes of the ongoing crisis as well as the modalities for ending the conflict in the eastern territories of the DR Congo.
Both parties also agreed to call on the Congolese religious leaders and the media to support and spread the message of hope and peace. M23 rebels had also been asked to vacate territories under their control as a gesture of goodwill.
In response, the rebels withdrew from Walikale town and nearby areas in early April. In return, the rebels’ delegation presented the DRC government with a list of 700 detainees allegedly imprisoned for suspected affiliations with the movement, requesting their release.
But the government released only five individuals, none of whom appeared on the submitted list. However, it has emerged that the M23 rebels this week withdrew their delegation led by rebels’ executive secretary Benjamin Mbonimpa and Colonel John Imani Nzenze, the rebels’ intelligence chief, after the demands of both parties remained parallel.
On Friday, the rebels’ political spokesperson confirmed to the media that the delegation has withdrawn from the peace talks over the Kinshasa regime’s lack of will to pursue political avenues to resolve this conflict.
Kanyuka also argues that the delegation returned following a directive from the coalition’s senior leadership after Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of Congo (FARDC) soldiers and the coalition continued to launch attacks against M23 defensive positions as well as areas occupied by civilians in North and South Kivu provinces.
Kanyuka also argues that FARDC soldiers and coalition forces have continued to attack the Banyamulenge tribe in South Kivu province instead of observing a ceasefire. The DR Congo government has not yet released a statement about the matter.
It remains unclear if the withdrawal of the M23 delegation from peace talks will spark the resumption of hostilities between the two parties. M23 rebels control the majority of areas in North and South Kivu provinces, including Goma, Bukavu cities, Goma international airport and Kavumu airport.
These guys…🙄.
Can’t the residents kick both out ?
Congolese government has failed to keep peace…(If the Congolese government was present from the start with the attendant resources; military hardware and intelligence, would m23 have advanced to that stage ?) “Visitor1”
M23 has also just invaded…(These guys seem to come from other countries…I assume because I also have to ask, do they have an origin point in DRC, if they did, couldn’t they just defend that origin point instead of destabilizing others ? “Visitor2”
The area residents should just kick both parties out( why should two “visitors” start a chaotic war in your residence ?)
Countless people die when visitors start fighting in your area, ask people in Luweero…It is best to kick both out…
Of course they will come and destroy property and kill your people yet they get to go back to where they came from, where it is safe and peaceful…
All those Arabs need is rare earth minerals in Congo and gold in Darfur .They don’t care about Congolese lives lost. They are funding the war in Darfur and pretending to be brokers where they want to see who may ally with them in Goma etc.Ms 23 is a group of misguided youth who are simply pawns in the game…for Kagame… or Museveni …or Kabila .. or whoever is the highest bidder. Rwanda hopes it can expand its Tutsi empire to Congo by bringing some autonomy there. Kabila thinks he can get be a Garang who leads Goma to a new state hood that then makes himself the unsung hero. Africans have to wake up to learn to defend what is good for them or forever be exploited.
Thank for the work of waking them up.
This is a very sleepy continent.