AFRICA/DR CONGO - Civil society in South Kivu is asking how far are the peace negotiations

Kinshasa (Agenzia Fides) – "What is happening in the ongoing talks in Doha on the future of our region?" asks the South Kivu Civil Society Coordination Office in a statement sent to Fides.
After almost two weeks of talks in Doha (Qatar), no concrete steps have been taken to achieve peace in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo. In the Qatari capital, talks between the delegation of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and the rebel group M23/Congo River Alliance (AFC) are continuing behind closed doors after the deadline for reaching an agreement was not reached (see Fides, 19/8/2025). For this reason, Congolese civil society "questions the effectiveness of Qatar's mediation." "The process in Washington also appears to be blocked," the statement continues, referring to the agreements signed between the DRC and Rwanda on June 27 in the American capital. Rwanda is considered a sponsor of the M23 rebel movement (see Fides, 27/6/2025).
The statement also laments the fact that the populations of North and South Kivu (the two provinces where the M23 has made significant territorial gains) have not been included in the peace talks that affect their future: "Civil society will never stop demanding its participation in the various ongoing peace initiatives, because as long as it remains excluded, the voice of the people will not be taken into account in the agreements to be signed." "This also applies," the statement emphasizes, "to parliament, which represents the people and has been excluded from all current peace initiatives."
"The government must disclose what is happening in Doha to dispel any misunderstandings, as the population has a right to information and to be included in the ongoing peace process". The civil society organization based in Uvira, one of the few towns in South Kivu still controlled by government troops, also warns the population against the spread of false news on social media aimed at inciting tribal hatred. According to the statement, those responsible for this so-called "digital war" are both within the M23 camp, which could exploit the resulting chaos to seize Uvira, and within the government camp, where internal conflicts have arisen within the military chain of command.
The statement concludes with an appeal to the United Nations Security Council to "give priority to the situation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo in order to enforce Resolution 2773." This resolution, adopted by the United Nations Security Council on February 21, 2025, reaffirms the UN's commitment to respecting the sovereignty, independence, unity, and territorial integrity of the Democratic Republic of Congo. (L.M.) (Agenzia Fides, 9/9/2025)

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