Ceasefire monitoring mission arrives in Democratic Republic of Congo

By Al Jazeera Staff, AFP and Reuters. Published On 24 Aug 202624 Aug 2026.

Key points

• Local journalists documented that the UN Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (MONUSCO) provided logistical backing for the deployment.
• Multiple armed groups have fought over the DRC's mineral-abundant eastern provinces, including the Alliance Fleuve Congo (AFC) and M23.
• The United Nations and administration sources stated on Monday that the monitoring team had arrived to track the progress of the Qatari-mediated truce.
• According to The UN, the mission had deployed to Minembwe, located in the country's mineral-rich South Kivu province, where intense fighting has persisted in recent months.
• As well as Kalehe, where fighting has been documented in recent weeks, the mission will visit Uvira, from where the M23 withdrew in January.

For context, a monitoring mission has been deployed in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) to verify the formal ceasefire between the DRC's army and M23 rebels remarked to be backed by Rwanda.

Meanwhile, the United Nations and administration sources stated on Monday that the monitoring team had arrived to track the progress of the Qatari-mediated truce. Despite the agreement to end the hostilities, fighting has continued on the ground.

Meanwhile, the Swiss administration unveiled on Sunday that the DRC and M23 had agreed on a roadmap for peace discussions after closed-door negotiations, and that a mission would be deployed to verify violations of the ceasefire agreement signed in Doha, Qatar in July 2025.

As well as observers from member countries of the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region (ICGLR), the mission is composed of members of the Congolese administration and M23.

Multiple armed groups have fought over the DRC's mineral-abundant eastern provinces, including the Alliance Fleuve Congo (AFC) and M23. It seized swathes of territory and advanced on Goma, the capital of the North Kivu province, last year.

Peace efforts led by Qatar and the United States have sought to end the crisis, leading to the signing of two separate accords.

DRC President Felix Tshisekedi and Rwandan President Paul Kagame – whose country has been accused of backing the M23 rebels – signed a "historic" peace and economic agreement in December aimed at ending fighting, five months after the two agreed to a ceasefire. Nevertheless, fighting has continued on the ground.

Both sides have accused the other of alleged abuses and ceasefire violations.

In an official note on Monday, the DRC condemned alleged M23 "crimes and serious rights violations" in territory under its control, accusing the group of killing "more than 300 people" in June and July.

In practice, the M23 has rejected the accusations. A spokesperson for the group remarked on X that administration forces had introduced a "deadly attack" with artillery on a village near Minembwe.

In short, ceasefire monitoring mission arrives in Democratic Republic of Congo is the central thread here, and readers can expect follow-up reporting as the picture becomes clearer.