The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has signed a Declaration of Principles with the militia group M23.
It is hoped that a gathering between the 2 sides, which took place in Qatar, will result in an eventual peace settlement.
M23 is allegedly backed by the Rwandan government, which the DRC claims is attempting to annex a few of its resource-rich eastern territories. Rwanda in turn claims that the DRC is harbouring criminals involved within the 1994 Rwandan genocide.
Earlier this yr M23 made significant gains against the DRC government, taking the town of Goma.
The seek for peace within the DRC has been long and unsuccessful.
In April the DRC and M23 agreed to a ceasefire, again via Qatar, however it was never kept.
M23 is itself a gaggle that formed following the failure of a 2009 peace deal between the DRC and M23’s effective predecessor, the National Congress for the Defence of the People (CNDP).
The latest deal features a proposed prisoner exchange and a commitment to signing a final peace agreement by 18 August.
Mohammed bin Abdulaziz bin Saleh Al-Khulaifi, Qatar’s minister of state, has said that the deal involves M23 returning control of all territory to the federal government, nonetheless M23 leaders have reportedly suggested that they may either not do that, or will maintain a presence in currently held territory.
Even if a long-lasting peace between the federal government and M23 does indeed materialise, the DRC still has a protracted technique to go before it could actually stay up for a peaceful and prosperous future.
Should M23 comply with effectively disband it could create an influence vacuum in areas it currently controls, allowing other militant groups to maneuver in.
It is believed that there are as many as 120 different armed militias within the country, including a branch of Islamic State referred to as the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF). Conflict experts have said that the DRC’s concentrate on the threat posed by M23 has allowed other groups, like ADF, to act with greater impunity.
In February ADF beheaded at the least 70 Christians in a Protestant church in Kasanga.
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