By Sonia Rolley
(Reuters) -Congo and the M23 rebel group signed an agreement on Tuesday for the monitoring of an eventual “permanent ceasefire”, a step towards potentially ending fighting in eastern Congo, according to sources on both sides and a copy seen by Reuters.
The agreement is a sign of progress in Qatar-mediated talks after the two sides missed an August 18 deadline to finalise a peace deal.
Qatar has hosted multiple rounds of direct talks between the Congo government and the rebels going back to April, but they have so far dealt largely with preconditions and confidence-building measures.
CEASEFIRE MONITORING DEAL WAS ONE OF TWO KEY STEPS
The ceasefire monitoring agreement was one of two key steps to complete before talks towards a comprehensive peace agreement could begin, the sources said. The second was a deal on a prisoner-of-war exchange that was signed in September, though the exchange itself has not happened.
M23 did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Tuesday. Congolese government spokesperson Patrick Muyaya confirmed the agreement had been signed.
Under the terms of the agreement, a ceasefire monitoring body will be formed featuring representatives of Congo, M23 and the 12-country International Conference on the Great Lakes Region (ICGLR), according to the copy seen by Reuters.
This body will be mandated to investigate reports of alleged ceasefire violations and is expected to meet no more than seven days after its creation.
The U.N. peacekeeping mission in Congo known as MONUSCO will be an “additional participant” and will “provide logistical coordination”.
M23 leader Bertrand Bisimwa told Reuters earlier this month that he opposed any operational role for MONUSCO in ceasefire monitoring, describing it as a belligerent actor because its mandate includes supporting Congo’s army.
Representatives from the African Union, Qatar and the United States will participate as observers, the copy of the agreement said.
U.N. ENVOY SAYS FIGHTING CONTINUES
Rwanda-backed M23 staged a lightning offensive in eastern Congo this year, seizing the region’s two largest cities and spurring fighting that has killed thousands of people and displaced hundreds of thousands more.
Rwanda has long denied backing M23 and says its forces act in self-defence. But a group of U.N. experts said in a report in July that Kigali exercised command and control over the rebels.
U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration brokered a separate peace deal between Congo and Rwanda in June. Trump has said he wants to bring peace to the region and facilitate investments in its minerals sector.
Trump has said the war is over, but Huang Xia, the U.N. special envoy for the Great Lakes region, told the U.N. Security Council on Monday that fighting continues.
“While all these African and international peace efforts are commendable and promising, they have so far failed to deliver on their promises – the agreed ceasefire is not being respected,” Huang said.
“After a brief lull, the parties to the conflict have regrouped and resumed military operations.”
(Reporting by Sonia RolleyWriting by Ayen Deng BiorEditing by Robbie Corey-Boulet and Frances Kerry)
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