The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and representatives of the Rwanda-backed M23 rebel group signed a new peace deal in Qatar on Saturday.  

While the agreement seeks to end the ongoing fighting in eastern DRC, where M23 has made significant military gains this year, many analysts fear it will have little impact on the ground. 

Qatar and the United States, which mediated the latest round of talks between the DRC and M23, were quick to laud the “comprehensive” deal, pointing to it as a helpful roadmap to stop the extreme violence spiraling out of control in eastern DRC. 

But rather than constituting a final peace deal, Saturday’s agreement simply sketches out several measures needed to reach one eventually. 

“There will be neither any change in the situation on the ground, nor any activity whatsoever,” the head of the M23 delegation said after the meeting, “until the measures are debated, negotiated and discussed one by one and a final peace agreement is reached.”  

The most recent peace deal follows closely in the pattern of an earlier agreement between the DRC and Rwanda, which has so far failed to result in Rwandan troops withdrawing from the DRC. M23 has an even more aggressive, entrenched position in eastern DRC, occupying key cities and regions and continuing to launch brutal offensives resulting in significant civilian deaths and mass displacement. 

Complex Disagreements 

Agreements on the release of prisoners and the creation of a monitoring body to oversee a ceasefire were already signed in September and October. Still, there has been persistent confusion about them in the last few months. 

According to Qatari officials, a key element of September and October’s agreements was the restoration of government rule across the country, including two major cities captured earlier this year by the rebels. While the DRC echoed this interpretation, stating that the agreement includes the complete withdrawal of rebel forces, M23 leaders have publicly disagreed, declaring their intention to remain in the territory they have captured. 

While a deal was signed in September to exchange prisoners, the swap has yet to occur due to mistrust between the parties and the DRC’s hesitation to release experienced fighters before a final deal is solidified. 

Under the terms of October’s agreement, a monitoring body will be created to oversee the implementation of a ceasefire agreement. The body will feature representatives of the Congolese government, the M23 rebel group, the regional International Conference on the Great Lakes Region bloc, and the U.N. peacekeeping mission to Congo, known as MONUSCO, which will provide logistical coordination. According to reports, the African Union, Qatar, and the United States will participate as observers. 

According to reports, progress was made in Saturday’s meeting on other topics, including the restoration of government control in rebel-held areas, humanitarian access, and the fate of refugees. Discussions on these topics, and continued discussions on prisoner exchanges, are expected to continue in the coming weeks. 

Dire Context 

More than 7.8 million people are currently displaced in eastern DRC. At the same time, 28 million face urgent food insecurity, according to the U.N. Violence has surged in 2025, largely due to an M23 offensive and attacks by other groups, including the Islamic State-aligned Allied Democratic Forces (ADF). 

In late July, ADF fighters attacked a Christian church in Ituri Province, killing at least 40 worshipers and burning numerous shops, homes, and vehicles. Thirteen children were killed in that attack alone. 

A week-long attack stretching from Aug. 9 to Aug. 16 in North Kivu Province led to the deaths of at least 52 civilians. The attack was attributed to ADF, which also conducted “abductions, looting, and the burning of homes, vehicles, and motorcycles, as well as the destruction of property belonging to the population already facing dire humanitarian conditions,” according to the U.N. mission in the DRC. 

The U.N. recorded 33 attacks on healthcare workers and facilities in the first six months of 2025, nearly triple the number of attacks as compared to the last half of 2024. 

According to Human Rights Watch, M23 “summarily executed over 140 civilians” in July, possibly on ethnic grounds. An Amnesty report, published in August, detailed a widespread pattern of brutality in M23 actions, including gang rape, torture, and extrajudicial executions. 

While M23 and ADF are among the most prominent rebel groups, about 120 other armed rebel militias are active in the DRC, making lasting peace difficult to achieve. The U.N. has described the situation in the DRC as “one of the most protracted, complex, serious humanitarian crises on Earth.” 

Given the number of other militant groups, it is unclear what would happen if the M23 dismantled its operations and relinquished control of the parallel administrations currently governing several areas of eastern DRC. Without a robust force to fill the void, its withdrawal would likely create a dangerous power vacuum. 

Without decisive action to ensure the safety of civilians, restore government authority, and address the complex network of militias fueling instability, the DRC risks repeating the cycle of broken promises and renewed bloodshed that has defined past peace efforts. 

Soberingly, M23 itself emerged from a failed peace deal, forged some 16 years ago, that was never fully implemented. 

While the international community is coming to recognize the extreme danger posed by terrorism in the area, it does not seem to fully appreciate the element of religious extremism within these organizations. In searching for long-term solutions to terrorism in the country, it is important that the world address not just the economic roots of the insurgency but the ideological ones as well.  

Whether through targeted information campaigns on the ground or specific efforts to protect religious communities in the DRC, it is vital that the world recognizes the persecution happening and addresses it accordingly. Only then can a workable solution be reached. 

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