The March 23 Movement (M23) on September 1 has reiterated its support for peace negotiations under Qatari mediation, even as tensions with the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) Government persist.
Speaking in Goma, Corneille Nangaa, leader of the allied Congo River Alliance, said the group remained committed to the Doha process and trusted Qatar’s mediation, despite missed deadlines set out in the July 19 Declaration of Principles.
He accused Kinshasa of failing to release 700 prisoners as agreed and of breaching the ceasefire through military operations in South Kivu. A two-member M23 team has since been dispatched to Doha to focus on ceasefire enforcement and prisoner issues.
The DRC government and M23 resumed talks in Doha last week, with President Felix Tshisekedi framing the dialogue as a step towards ending years of violence. However, the situation on the ground continues to worsen. Since January, M23 has captured strategic cities including Goma and Bukavu, sparking fresh clashes and intensifying the humanitarian crisis. According to the United Nations, more than 28 million Congolese face food insecurity, while over 7 million people remain internally displaced, many of them uprooted multiple times by the ongoing conflict.