DRC and M23 Sign Landmark Ceasefire Agreement
In July of 2025, representatives from the government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and the March 23 rebel group (M23) met (AfricaNews) in Doha and agreed to a comprehensive ceasefire under the mediation of Qatar. The agreement formally bans all military attacks, territorial advances, and aerial or artillery bombardments. Lauded by civil society and the international community, a full peace deal is aimed to be agreed to by summer of 2026. Despite this positive advance towards peace in the eastern DRC, where M23 primarily operates, the road to a lasting peace will not be an easy one. Previous promises have been reneged upon and agreements breached. What is different is the recently signed peace deal between Rwanda and the DRC, mediated by the US, which is likely the main reason for optimism from civil society and outside observers alike.
Background
The M23 movement is one of a plethora of rebel groups operating in the North and South Kivu provinces of the DRC’s east. Formally founded in 2012 after remnants of the M23’s predecessor group, the CNDP, accused the central government of not holding to its end of a previously agreed to political deal. Since then, violence has spawned sporadically with the most recent operation that saw M23 capture Goma, one of the region’s largest cities and the capital of the North Kivu province.
The M23 is an ethnic Tutsi militia, whose stated aim is the protection of Tutsis in the DRC’s east. In reality, the M23 is a proxy of Rwanda, which has offered them both arms and support (United Nations) in the form of regular army units fighting alongside M23 in their latest campaign in the east.
The DRC has historically struggled to control its eastern frontier region due to its geography. Hundreds of kilometers of rainforest separate the country’s core region in the west around the vicinity of Kinshasa and the populated areas of the DRC’s Great Lakes region. The lowlands on which cities like Goma sit are ringed by mountains, which have served as sanctuaries for various militia groups. The fact that the DRC is the 5th least stable (Fragile States Index) country in the world according to the Fragile States Index published by the US-based Fund for Peace highlights the extent of Kinshasa’s struggle for central control.
Analysis
The difference this time around is that Rwanda, which has been identified as the main command and control for M23 according to Reuters, has agreed to a peace deal. Rwanda has good reasons for sticking to its end of the bargain. For the past decade or so, Rwanda has sought to transform itself into the “Singapore of Africa.” (Berger, D.) As such, by supporting the end of the conflict in the DRC, Rwanda hopes to build credibility among the international community that it is a responsible actor in the region. The agreement also commits both parties to the eradication of a Hutu-extremist group known as the FDLR, whose existence was a foundational concern for Rwanda’s support for M23 in the first place.
For decades, Rwanda has been involved in the DRC’s politics in the aftermath of the 1994 genocide. Years of bad blood between Kinshasa and Kigali have been the main reason for the current conflict. This also explains why mediation was successful; both sides had interests that were not effectively accomplished through continued conflict, and that solutions to their problems were not necessarily mutually exclusive.
With the commitment to peace on behalf of Kigali, the potential for a lasting peace is higher than it has been for at least two decades.
Citations:
AfricaNews. (2025, July 21). Ceasefire agreement between Kinshasa and M23 revives hope for lasting peace in Eastern DRC. Africanews. https://www.africanews.com/2025/07/21/ceasefire-agreement-between-kinshasa-and-m23-revives-hope-for-lasting-peace-in-eastern-drc/
Berger, D. (2018, January 11). Rwanda: The Singapore of Africa? not so fast. The Organization for World Peace. https://theowp.org/reports/rwanda-the-singapore-of-africa-not-so-fast/
Country dashboard. Fragile States Index. (n.d.). https://fragilestatesindex.org/country-data/
Exclusive: Rwanda exercises command and control over M23 rebels, say UN experts | reuters. (n.d.). https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/rwanda-exercises-command-control-over-m23-rebels-say-un-experts-2025-07-02/
United Nations. (n.d.). Security Council urges Rwanda to stop supporting M23 in eastern DR Congo | UN News. United Nations. https://news.un.org/en/story/2025/02/1160406