Negotiations in Doha are linked to the meeting of the Congo and Rwanda President, while the insurgents call for the abolition of death sentences and the government withdrawal from occupied territories.
The Congo Government and insurgents from the March 23 (M23) Movement, supported by Rwanda, met in Qatar on Wednesday to try to close the peace in conflict of Eastern Congo. The insurgents seized a large area there. Informs AP, writes TASR.
The decades of the conflict escalated in January, when the insurgents occupied the strategic Eastern City of Goma and in February also the city of Bukava. The fighting claimed about 3,000 dead and raised concerns about the wider regional war.
Negotiations in Qatar
According to representatives of both parties, the delegation met on Wednesday in the Qatar capital Dauha. The talks follow the recent meeting of the Congo and Rwanda President, which was mediated by Qatar. Neighboring countries are unsuccessfully trying to force both sides to return to dialogue and re -commit the peace agreement, which they blame each other.
The insurgents demand that the Congo President Felix Tshisekedi cancel “all the death sentences and prosecution” on M23 members, the representative of the movement said. Delegation of the rebel forces is led by Bertrand Bisimwa, representative of the Alliance coordinator on the Congo River, which includes M23.
Tense situation
The Congo Government delegation is composed mainly of representatives of national security services. They want the insurgents to withdraw from the occupied territory.
According to Christian Molek, a political scientist from the Congo Think Tank, the success of the meeting in Doha will “depend on the intermediaries’ ability to maintain pressure on different stakeholders, especially Rwanda, and keep them at the table”. Moleka added that forcing the insurgents to withdraw without the pressure of the international community on Rwanda will not be easy.
Rwanda support
M23 is one of the approximately 100 armed groups that fight in the Eastern Congo rich in minerals near the border with Rwanda. According to UN experts, the rebels support approximately 4,000 Rwandan soldiers.
