DR Congo, M23 fighters agree roadmap for peace talks: joint statement
The Democratic Republic of Congo and the M23 rebel group have agreed on a roadmap for peace talks following negotiations in Switzerland. The agreement aims to establish a framework for resolving the long-standing conflict in the eastern DRC.
Why it matters
This diplomatic breakthrough is a crucial step toward ending decades of violence and instability in a mineral-rich region of Africa.
The Democratic Republic of Congo and the Rwanda -backed M23 armed group have agreed on a roadmap for peace talks, according to a joint statement published Sunday (August 23, 2026) by Switzerland after hosting negotiations.
The eastern DRC has been riven by decades of conflict, with multiple armed groups fighting over its mineral-rich territory, including the M23, which seized swathes of the region last year.
The two sides signed a U.S.-brokered peace agreement late last year in the Qatari capital Doha, but fighting has continued.
Following a new round of talks held in Switzerland last week, the two sides and their mediators said they had staked out a path forward.
"The Parties developed a roadmap setting out sequenced steps and timelines for negotiations under the Doha Framework Agreement, and committed to flexibility and creativity within the existing structure" of that agreement, the statement said.
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