The Qatari Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that the government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Congo River Alliance / March 23 Movement signed, in Doha, the terms of reference emanating from the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region, at the conclusion of the ceasefire monitoring and verification mechanism meeting between the two parties, which was hosted by the State of Qatar as part of its efforts to support peace and stability in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo.
During the meeting, the two parties affirmed their full commitment to the ceasefire and to the Doha Framework Peace Agreement signed between them on November 15, 2025, while expressing their intention to implement all the obligations contained therein in good faith, in a way that serves the path of peaceful resolution of the conflict.
Members of the Monitoring and Verification Mechanism participated in the meeting, in the presence of the United States of America and the African Union as observers, along with the Republic of Togo as the mediator appointed by the African Union, as well as the United Nations Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO) and the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region.
The meeting discussed the latest field developments, including existing challenges, with participants stressing the importance of taking practical measures to strengthen monitoring, verification and information exchange mechanisms in support of the peace process.
The members also reviewed the plans of both the MONUSCO mission and the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region to implement the mechanism’s tasks, renewing their commitment to supporting and facilitating their work to ensure the success of the field missions. The meeting decided to assign the MONUSCO mission to send the first field mission to the city of Uvira in the coming days to monitor compliance with the ceasefire, while completing the establishment of the necessary field communication channels to facilitate the mission’s work in accordance with the monitoring mechanism.
Based on the discussions, members agreed on next steps aimed at enhancing the effectiveness of the mechanism and ensuring that its meetings continue to be held regularly
