The United Nations has welcomed signs of progress in talks aimed at reducing violence in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). Qatar is facilitating negotiations between the Congolese government and the M23 armed group, which controls significant portions of North Kivu and South Kivu provinces. These developments follow months of intense fighting that have displaced civilians and destabilized the region.
Despite diplomatic momentum, the UN cautions that the security situation remains highly volatile. The M23, or March 23 Movement, captured Goma in North Kivu and Bukavu in South Kivu during a rapid offensive in January 2025 and has since established parallel administrations in the territories under its control. The UN has alleged that M23 receives support from Rwandan forces, an allegation Rwanda has consistently denied.
On 2 February, the Congolese authorities and M23 signed a document outlining the terms of reference for a ceasefire monitoring and verification mechanism under the Doha Framework Agreement, originally signed in November 2025. In parallel, separate talks between the DRC and Rwanda, mediated by the United States, culminated in the Washington Agreements in December, raising hopes of an end to hostilities. Nonetheless, the UN reports that the security situation at the start of 2026 remains fragile and deteriorating.
The UN peacekeeping mission in the DRC, MONUSCO, renewed its call for an immediate cessation of hostilities. The mission highlighted that a UN Security Council resolution authorizes it to support the implementation of a permanent ceasefire, including technical and logistical assistance to a regional verification mechanism. MONUSCO affirmed its readiness to assist within the limits of its mandate and in full respect of DRC sovereignty.
MONUSCO described the progress in Doha as a “positive signal” toward making the ceasefire framework operational. An initial team of UN peacekeepers will be deployed to Uvira in South Kivu to support monitoring efforts. However, MONUSCO clarified that this deployment is limited and directly linked to the ceasefire process, not signaling a permanent return to the province, which the mission had left in June 2024.
