DRC and M23 rebels eye peace monitoring agreement in Switzerland

The latest negotiations come as clashes spill into the South Kivu highlands, with civilians ‘caught in the middle’.The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and M23 rebels are holding talks in Switzerland, the latest effort to curb deadly fighting that has persisted despite a December peace accord.The new round of negotiations between the two sides began on Monday, with mediation by the United States and Qatar, according to media reports.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3US sanctions Rwandan army and top officials for supporting M23 in DRClist 2 of 3More than 200 killed in landslide at DRC coltan minelist 3 of 3Legal groups condemn arrival of a dozen deportees from US to Ugandaend of listThe Congolese government and the AFC/M23 rebel coalition signed an interim peace monitoring mechanism during the talks, Radio France Internationale (RFI) reported on Thursday.The agreement establishes a body to track humanitarian and security developments and monitor potential ceasefire violations, RFI said.The mechanism will include representatives from both the DRC government and armed group, with support from the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO).Reporting from Goma in eastern DRC, Al Jazeera’s Alain Uaykani said the talks are taking place “while the situation on the ground is very fragile”, with both sides accusing each other of violating truce agreements.“In the area of Minembwe [in South Kivu province], for example, thousands of civilians are caught in the middle of the battle between different groups,” he said.People on the ground in the eastern DRC hope mediators will press both sides to respect a new durable peace mechanism, after a string of failed deals, added Uaykani.‘Dire humanitarian crisis’The AFC/M23 rebel coalition has seized large swaths of territory in the eastern DRC since the start of 2025, taking key cities, including Goma, the capital of North Kivu province, and Bukavu, the capital of South Kivu.