The Government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the militias of the March 23 Movement (M23) have reached a principle of understanding to activate a "roadmap" and a verification mechanism for the ceasefire agreed upon by both parties in Doha, the capital of Qatar, in November of last year, a cessation of hostilities that has since been repeatedly violated by all actors involved in the conflict.
Despite the enormous difficulties in bridging positions and the persistence of fighting between both sides and their allies in the east of the country, the Congolese Executive and the M23 have maintained sporadic contacts in Geneva, also driven by the severe outbreak of Ebola that has been affecting the region since mid-May and has already caused more than 2,500 deaths.
After the last round of talks, held between Monday and Friday of this week with the mediation of the United States, Qatar, Togo, and the African Union, the delegations have decided to launch a pilot verification mission in the municipality of Minembwe, in South Kivu, considered a stronghold of the M23 and of the Congolese Tutsi community that the group claims to protect.
In June, the NGO specialized in armed conflicts ACLED reported that the Congolese Army had resumed its bombing campaign on this municipality with the aim of opening a new bridgehead in South Kivu, whose capital, Bukavu, has remained under the control of the militias since last year.
The so-called Expanded Joint Verification Mechanism Plus (EJVM+), the name by which this type of device is identified, is born with the intention of definitively establishing "a standardized method for reporting violations of the ceasefire."
As for the announcement of the "roadmap," barely more elements have emerged than those already known: that it includes the expected "steps and deadlines 'in sequence' for negotiations," that both parties commit to "be flexible and creative within the existing structure," and that the order in which the different peace protocols established by this document are negotiated will not necessarily dictate the order in which they are executed, in order to maximize progress on the ground.
Finally, the delegations "reaffirmed their commitment to continue negotiations to achieve comprehensive peace and conflict resolution through the implementation of the Framework Agreement" sealed in the Qatari capital.